


Radioactive

by burt_ward



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Apocalypse, F/M, Romance, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-26
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-01-17 01:46:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 27,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1369375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/burt_ward/pseuds/burt_ward
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Infected. She hated being called that. As the only one resistant, Artemis has the weight of the world on her shoulders. Not only does she have to travel across country to provide a cure, but she has to do it with no more than her best friend and try not to be killed by the mysterious group following them. A "The Last of Us" inspired AU. Spitfire.</p><p>Rated M for language, fictionalized violence (though not graphic), and whoa eventual romantic encounters whoa.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Infected

 

**A friend of mine told me that I should look into getting an account here so more people could read my story so...what the heckie! If this story looks familiar it'e because it's exactly the same as the one on FFn. Hopefully you guys like it! Thanks so much for taking the time to check it out!**

* * *

 

The doors slid open as the blonde man came in carrying the same Wednesday meal they always prepared.

"Bernerd," she said without missing a beat.

The man laughed and shook his head. "You already guessed that, and no." He sat the tray down on the table before pulling out the syringe. Artemis shivered. Sharp and intimidating as always. After a shot every month, she had hoped it would get easier, but each time it was as nerve wracking as the last. He seemed to notice her anxiety and smiled.

"Come on, let's just get it over with so you can eat your lunch in peace."

"Or we can skip it," Artemis offered. "I've been here pretty much my entire life, and nothing has changed. My rashes haven't spread, my blood work is always clean...I don't even feel the need to chew on human flesh! Barry, please, just skip this one shot!"

"But you're still infected, so we need to draw some blood just in case." Artemis sighed as she reluctantly offered him her arm. She hated being called that. Infected. Ever since the outbreak nearly twenty years ago, the word had only brought malice and quarantines. No one was really sure where the infection started, or how. People slowly appearing with rashes, some bearing oozing pustules or others as hard and scabby as bark. Despite its slow appearance, bodies soon started turning up over town - hard, petrified bodies riddled with bite marks as more and more individuals started displaying signs of infection. It spread like wildfire and the world seemed to go crazy.

The first recorded incident of anything actually resembling "zombies" came about six months later when an unlucky journalist came upon a group of infected just outside the city. The poor bastard didn't last much longer, but his camera was found weeks later containing evidence of cannibalism, as well as the last few moments of his unlucky life.

It was after that that the real panic set in. People showing signs of infection were turned out of hospitals to prevent any sort of airborne contagion and strangers started looking more and more like enemies. As more and more infected showed up outside the cities, the more the "healthies", as they came to be known, were locked in. Citizens were scanned before exiting cities and often had to wait for large groups to accumulate before being allowed to leave.

That was how Artemis's mother was attacked. Six months pregnant hardly left her in a strengthened position which lead to a nasty bite on the back of her leg. Most in the group weren't keen on letting her continue to travel with them, but her pregnancy lead to a few sympathetic enough to get her to the nearest hospital. The infection spread at an alarmingly slow rate and seemed to miraculously avoid her stomach. Artemis was delivered without any complications...up until her mother quickly took a turn for the worst, rashes quickly spreading up towards her torso. It was unexpected. She took an unlucky nurse down before being restrained.

Despite her mother's infection and all the tests, Artemis's blood yielded negative results - not even a strain of the virus. An average birth, an average weight...with the exception of the rashes on her arms and a small one around her stomach, there was no way to tell she was a carrier.

"Done." Barry's words shook her from her thoughts. "Now eat your sandwich."

She ate her sandwich in silence as she watched Barry fill out the same form he had been filling out for years.  _Shot number three million and seven_ , she thought.  _As with the last three million and six it would appear as though nothing's changed. Still afraid of shots and still hasn't guess my real name._

"So what did you think of the book?"

She swallowed and glanced at the unopened book on her bedside table. "You mean another society without rules book?" Another bite. "Completely fascinating. Why do we only have post-apocalyptic or importance of society books?"

"So what did it take for you to convince Wally to do all your work?"

"It's his favorite book, it was hardly impossible."

"He only likes it because it's Linda's favorite book."

"Ooooh! Linda!" Artemis responded with feigned excitement. She took another bite.

"Don't be so jealous, Artemis. Guys don't like that." A voice rang out over the intercom. The doors opened for the tall redhead as he walked in. Artemis rolled her eyes before tossing a crumpled napkin at his face.

"I'm still technically infected, and I will bite you." He grabbed the second half of her sandwich off her plate despite her protests.

"So what's the deal? You dead yet?"

"Yes, Wally. After seventeen years of being completely fine, my infection has decided to finally kill me." She grabbed her lunch back out of his hands. "Also you would be heartbroken without me."

Wally smiled through his last bite of her sandwich. "Your entertainment value would be considerably less dead." Trying not laugh, Artemis glared at him. They had been friends for as long as she could remember, but they still bickered like children. She hated admitting that Wally was her best friend, but then again he was the only one close in age. Still immature as ever, Wally had a smile that lit up rooms and made Artemis want to hit him in the teeth.

"She's not dying," Barry started as he finished his paperwork, "but you might be once your parents hear that you're doing her homework."

"You told him?" Artemis shrugged as she finished her sandwich. Wally sighed. "Well, it's not like it's the first time."

Barry looked between the two and smiled. "Why don't you guys get out of here for a bit? I'm going to be scheduling some tests for Artemis for this afternoon, so I'm sure she'll appreciate getting some air."

"Do I have to clean up after her, too?" Wally narrowly dodged her arm as she made a swing for the back of his head.

"Come on, Wallace. The outside world awaits." She pulled on his arm before leading him out the room. Back in his chair, Barry laughed some more, shaking his head over his papers.

Despite the futuristic feel of her own room, the rest of the compound left much to be desired. Her room was bright and clean, airtight locks with no signs of the devastation outside. The rest sat dark and bleak. It was obviously at one point a very nice facility, probably a rehabilitation center of some sort. They were isolated from larger cities, but near by enough that they weren't sitting ducks. Outside there were remnants of gardens and fountains that someone still tended to, a small semblance of normalcy.

"So what tests are they running on you?" Wally asked. They walked through the building winding hallways. The cold autumn air slipped through the cracks between windows causing Artemis to pull the sleeves down on her jacket.

"Probably just stress tests. I think I'm going to be shipped off out west soon. Do the cure thing."

"Oh. Cool?"

She shrugged. Ever since word got out of her condition, rumors had been flying around over a cure. A  _real_ cure. A few placebos had been made over the years, but Artemis held the key to the real deal, or so they said. She was no scientist, and had no idea just...how an antidote would be made. All she knew was that she provided the answers.

"How far out west?" His eyes looked distant as they made it outside to one the gardens. Mindlessly, he lead them over to a rundown bench. They always sat here. It was far enough away to be just out of ears. Moss had taken over the stone seating, but it only made it a more appealing place to sit. Their own secret garden they had once called it.

"Los Angeles. There used to be a S.T.A.R. Labs out there that might be of some use, plus apparently that's where the doctors are. I guess it makes more sense for the sick girl to travel out there for whatever reason."

Wally didn't seem to acknowledge her. Something about her infection always seemed to quieten him whenever they spoke. Instead of the happy-go-lucky personality she loved, he turned pensive and soft. They sat in silence in the fall air watching the clouds and the world around them. Nothing else. Only the two of them.

* * *

Artemis had no idea how long she had been asleep on Wally's shoulder when the alarm went off. Loud and piercing, she fell off the bench with a start. Wally's eyes searched the area, painting his face with concern. Something had to be wrong. He wasn't laughing at her. Grabbing her hands, he pulled her to her feet.

"We need to get you back to your room. Now"

Wally ran incredibly fast for someone who had lived in what was essentially a refugee camp his whole life. They sped through twisting hallways back towards her room. Frantic people crowded by searching for loved ones and shelters. Voices cried out, most confused at the sudden alarm.

"Get her to her room as quickly as possible. I'm right behind you." Just as quickly as Barry appeared, he disappeared down an adjacent hallway. Wally nodded with a burst of speed that yanked on her arm.

"Wally-"

"Don't worry. You'll be fine." In all her years of living there, she had never heard the sirens. Infected, animals, looters...It could have been anything.

"But-"

"Artemis, you're going to be ok." He glanced back as he ran, never slowing down. "Just follow me. We'll be fine." They ran into the room and shut the door, Barry close behind them with suitcases in tow.

"Ok, pardon my french, but what the hell is going on?"

"Break in. Third sector, but making their way here. Quickly." Barry packed the already heavy bags, clothes and medical supplies.

"So what? Infected? Why the bags?" Wally stood near the door looking out the small glass window. Flashes of people ran by, old and young, all in panic.

"Not exactly. But you need to go now. Both of you."


	2. Stars

"Go? What do you mean go? We haven't even started thinking about L.A." Artemis caught the bag the Barry threw at her. This wasn't right. The trip out west was supposed to take weeks at best, and they needed time to plan for it. Now she was being shoved out the door with little more than a duffle.

"And what do you mean 'both' of us?" Wally asked. Barry also gave him a bag, but this time handed it to him gingerly. The bottom of his bag sunk with weight, but Wally didn't seem to notice. "Barry, what's going on?"

"There's been some...complications. The Light to be specific," he said quickly as he gathered Artemis's things. "Luckily they don't know what either of you look like, so they won't be looking for you, in particular, but Artemis, you need to keep your sleeves down and avoid any and all health scans and check points."

Barry reached into Wally's bag and pulled out a gun - a pistol of some sort as far as Artemis knew. She never even knew he had one nevertheless how to use it. Barry tinkered with various parts as he showed his nephew how to use it. "Safety on. Safety off. Reload here. Clip goes here. Be careful with this and use it only in emergencies. You guys are small and quick. You can outsmart them."

Artemis looked to Wally. He seemed to carry the same worry and fear in his eyes that she felt. Shouldering the bag, she pulled her sleeves down over the rough patches of skin on her wrists.

"Back stairwell down to trash chute," Wally said.

He placed the gun in the back of his jeans like she had seen in so many old movies. Barry whispered something in his ear and they hugged goodbye, but it was lost on Artemis, her mind whirling with the events from the last few minutes. The older man reached over to hug Artemis.

"Good luck, kiddo. Just keep your head down and you'll be fine." He squeezed tighter, though whether for her sake or his own she couldn't tell. She held on a few moments longer before letting go. "It's just Barry, by the way. Not short for anything...Just Barry." He looked between the two teenagers once more. "If you're going to go, you have to go now. Wally remember - Blüdhaven."

Wally nodded before grabbing her hand as he ran out the door. As they descended the stairs, they were met with little difficulty. Most of the workers in the area must have evacuated. Emergency sirens sounded in the distance as they proceeded further and further away from the only home Artemis had ever known. By the time they reached the garbage chute, the sirens were barely audible.

"There's no other way to do this?" Artemis asked. Warm, putrid air hit her nostrils as she peered down the small square in the wall. Reeling back, she gasped. "Besides how are you going to slide down with a gun in your pants?

"I'll think of something," he replied, half distracted by the various sounds in the tunnels. "This is the fastest way out, and no one will expect an infected kid to go diving into a pile of trash, now move it!" Wally tossed his bag in before grabbing Artemis's. With a halfhearted grin he threw it down the shaft. "Oops! Better go after it."

Somewhere a long the corridor, a door slammed followed by angry muffled voices. Artemis took a deep breath as she jumped in. The tunnels were slick from years of garbage as she slid straight down. Not far behind her she could hear Wally's "Shit shit shit!" before quickly diving in himself. With a wet thud, Artemis landed in the freshest - and thankfully least rotten - pile. There was no way to tell what she had landed in, nor did she really want to. Loud bangs pulled her attention to the ceiling. Wally's form came rushing out of the chute, narrowly missing Artemis.

"Someone saw us down jump down. We gotta keep moving." Wally grabbed the bags and pulled her to her feet. "I think there's a way into the sewers from here. We'll be able to lose them in there."

"First the garbage now the sewers?" Artemis grabbed her bag after attempting to brush the garbage from her hair. She looked up to see his form already heading off into the distance. He looked over his shoulder.

"If you want to be caught by the scary looking chick I saw down the hallway, be my guest. That being said, if you do, Barry and everyone else in this facility will kill me, so I'd really rather you'd keep up."

Artemis looked back up the chute before heading off to follow Wally, certain she heard someone above opening the chute.

* * *

It had been hours, or at least it seemed that way to Artemis. The sewer had proven difficult enough to locate, but when it came to navigating, Wally was a lost cause. Turns lead towards dead ends, and openings sent back towards the inside of the facility. Once they had gotten close to getting outside, and Artemis promised herself that if they were finally free, she would never doubt anything Wally ever did ever again. Unfortunately the way was blocked by a row of bars that refused to yield no matter how they tried to remove them. Another dead end.

"Do you even know where we're going?" Artemis could feel the moisture from the air seeping into her clothes and skin. "We've found three exits and none of them we're good enough."

"We need to go to Blüdhaven, but first we need to get away from here."

"Ok. How do we get to Blüdhaven?"

"We walk. It's only a few miles away, so it shouldn't take too long."

She stopped. "Few mi-Wally, it has to be pushing eight o'clock. You aren't thinking about getting all the way there tonight, are you?"

Artemis heard Wally sigh as he slowed to a stop. "Well, I was," he mumbled. He turned to face her. "We need to get there as quickly as possible."

"Yeah, but…" She leaned against a rusting old ladder, having given up on staying clean for at least a that day. "To walk  _miles_ , will take  _hours._  Not to mention that we could blindly walk into who knows how many nests of infected. If we stop for the night, we can rest then go at daylight where we can actually see around us."

Wally seemed to consider her for a moment, obviously not wanting to agree. "So where are we supposed to sleep? There aren't exactly a hotel near by."

"…I hadn't thought that far ahead yet. We'll walk till we find something."

"Fine, but we need to keep going then. We have to get out before we can get any closer to Blüdhaven."

"Why don't we check here?" Artemis gestured towards the ladder supporting her. "It's why I stopped here."

She laughed as Wally's hand made contact with his forehead. Grumbled curses could be heard as he walked past. "I swear if this is the right manhole, I'll get right down on my knees and ask you to marry me right now."

"Oh, honey that's so sweet," she replied, voice heavy with sarcasm. Her eyes followed him as he ascended the ladder, skimming up the rungs, his legs, his…She shook her head. The sound of the metal cover caught her attention as she craned her head upwards. "What do you see?"

The redhead pulled himself up, vanishing from her sight. "I'll buy you a ring in Blüdhaven." Artemis began climbing after him, the taste of clean air already heavy on her pallet. Wally looked down from the sky briefly enough to help her out before returning his gaze to the sky. Above, stars littered the vast darkness catching Artemis's breath in her throat.

She could count the number of times she had seen real stars on one hand. Much like tonight, every other time had been with Wally. Each time, they'd sit on their same bench, out past curfew, animatedly talking about the different tests Artemis had been put through, Wally's growing crush on his tutor…But these star were different. Bright and clear and far from the lights of the facility.

"I was kidding about the marriage thing," a soft voice whispered as an overlooked hand slowly slipped out of her own. Artemis turned towards the movement. She had completely forgotten that Wally was still there. His eyes were already back on their surroundings.

"We need to go this way." He pointed in what seemed like a random direction.

"Are you sure?" The blonde looked around, trying to discern some of distinguishing landmarks. Nothing. As far as she could see, it was dark and they were stranded on an abandoned road that stretched out into forever. "Why not follow the road?"

"Shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Also, I have no idea where this one goes."

"But you know where we're going?" Wally laughed.

"Something like that."

They walked. Farther than Artemis had ever thought was imaginable. The sewers had been rough enough between the smells and rancid air, but the chance of running into an infected had been next to nothing. While being outside, was a welcome change of pace, every little sound had them on their toes. Infected, wild animals, hunters - all lurked in the wilderness, the night their playtime. Blue-grey eyes danced around, taking everything in. Clusters of trees were barely visible in dark as they dotted the horizon. Old power lines stretched on, electricity no longer running from place to place.

It was hard to even imagine what life had been life before the infection spread. Very few of the films that had been salvaged gave little hints to how things had been before. Most movies weren't playable, and it was hard to find something to play them on. All Artemis and Wally had was a collection of old books and encyclopedias which only Wally had picked up. To the two of them, the world had always been dark and quiet, and there wasn't much chance of a change.

Time passed slowly, and they seemed no closer to their destination. Leaves crunched beneath their feet, each step heavier than the one before. Artemis looked up from her tired feet. Wally walked directly in front of her, never saying a word, occasionally looking up to the sky.

"So what's in Blüdhaven?" Artemis finally asked. She jogged up to his side, matching him stride for stride.

"An old acquaintance of Barry's, and hopefully a car. And if we're really lucky…a bed." Wally's voice was heavy with fatigue. "I'm going to miss beds."

"Why do we need a car? And do you even know how to drive?"

"I know the theory. My dad and Barry said they'd teach me if we ever found a car. Or if the infection cleared off. Which ever came first." A deep sigh left Wally's lips. "Besides, having a car could take days off our timeline. We just have to hope for gas and a clear road."

"Are the roads not clear?" Artemis's fingers played with the rashes on her wrists.

"Some are, but a lot of cities started blocking them off or even destroying major bridges to keep infected out." He had stopped walking again to look up into the sky, seeing something that the blonde did not. "We should probably stop for the night. Head for the trees. That way we'll have some sort of shelter, a place to hide."

Artemis nodded before looking up into the night's sky, hoping to see the same sign her friend seemed to spot so well. Nothing. A mess of stars and nothing…Once agains she jogged to catch up, falling along side him as her thoughts quickly turning to pleas for slumber.

A loud  _PING!_  pulled Artemis from thoughts. An unknown object snaked along the grass and through unseen hooks and pulleys. Almost as soon as it had started, they two found themselves crashing together. The red light of a flare illuminated the area, revealing the net that now held them about ten feet off the air. Artemis's head fell into an unknown part of Wally's body as she let out an exasperated sigh.

"Well, we know we're heading in the right direction…"


	3. Blüdhaven

Lights and alarms went off within the bunker. Dicks head shot up towards the monitors as Barbara heaved a heavy sigh.

"It's probably just one of the satellite traps." Her breath was shallow and she sat herself up. "Just…get back over here."

"Let me make sure it's nothing important." Dick pulled himself up towards the motherboard. His hand ran halfway through his hair before remembering what he had previously been using it for. "Now where are you bastards?" Quick eyes skimmed over the screen looking for the offenders.

"There," Barbara pointed. "They don't seem to be putting up much of a fight." She had calmed her hair down into a ponytail, and was now pulling her pants back up.

"Could be sleepers."

"Never seen a sleeper get this close."

"Nevertheless, we ought to check it out before The Bat wakes up." Barbara was already miles ahead of him, grabbing packs stuffed with provisions and ammunition.

"Shotgun or crossbow?"

"Shotgun for sure." He grabbed a pack from the redhead and dusted his front off. "So when we get back, it's your turn, right?"

"Oh yeah," her voice dripped with sarcasm as she walked towards the door. "I'll get right on that."

* * *

The net rocked back and forth as if were mocking the two of them. Artemis was still against Wally, her hand resting somewhere along his jeans.

"I hate you so much," Artemis said as they swung. "If we ever get out, I'm going to leave you here for the infected to get you."

"Yeah yeah I know, could you please move your hand now?"

"Yeah just give me a push" Wally's hands shimmied up from underneath her towards the side leaning on him. Both grunted as her weight shifted to the other side of the net. Shifting her legs to Wally's side, she let out a sigh of relief.

"Sorry, I forgot you weren't used to having someone else's hands down there." A chuckle escaped his lips, and she smiled. "So what's that plan for getting us out of here?"

"Well, somebody obviously left this here, so I say we just wait."

"And what? Talk about our feelings? Besides, is it really such a good idea to wait in the dark who knows where for who knows what kind of people?" In the dark, Artemis was able to make out the soft form of Wally shrugging. "Of course."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like."

Wally let out a long groan. He was probably as exasperated as she was, especially being forced into their field trip. Artemis adjusted again as she tried to get comfortable for an inevitably long night. The sky that was once littered with stars was now blocked by bare branches, allowing only one or two through. It had been nice while it lasted, easing the tension from their rough start. Her eyes wandered through the tree limbs as she silently begged for a glimpse of of the moon, or a star. Something. A small tap on her foot pulled her from her thoughts.

"I said, 'How are you doing?' This is the first time you've actually been  _outside_ outside, right?" Artemis nodded despite the darkness. "So…how's your…thing?"

Instinctively she pulled her sleeves down over her wrists, but not before lingering on the small patch of dry, dead skin. "Still gross," she said at last. She balled her sleeves into her fists to avoid acknowledging them further. "Why?"

"I'm allowed to care." What little light existed seem to catch his eyes as he rolled them.

"Since when?" He groaned again.

"Don't act like this whole friendship thing is a new concept for you. I've known you since we were like five."

"I still prefer the cat."

"That's a lie, and you know it. He tried to claw your face!"

"If I recall correctly, so did you."

"You were trying to kiss me."

"I was trying to infect you. Why does no one ever believe me?" Artemis could practically see the smirk on Wally's face growing. His face was never complete without one, and she absolutely hated him for it. "If it's such an aweful experience for you, why keep brining it up?"

He laughed. "Oh, come on! My mom didn't even buy that."

"I was nine years old! What sort of ulterior motives was I supposed to have?"

"If that's what helps you sleep at night, then by all means…keep lying to yourself."

"I'm going to sleep."

"Sweet dreams!"

"I hope a zombie rips your arm off."

"I wuv you!"

* * *

Dick and Barbara knelt down among the grass as they watched the net swing back and forth.

"They don't look infected," Dick said as he looked through his binoculars. Barbara snatched them from this grip to get a better view.

"They look like they're just sleeping." She lowered the binoculars before picking them back up again. "We're in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, and we caught to people taking a nap in our trap. This had batter be worth leaving at the ass crack of dawn."

"So, you want to wake them up?" Barbara nodded at her partner's question, taking off before he could say anything.

The two snaked between hidden traps, the morning air much cooler out in the open than it was in town. The closer they got, the more it was looking like it was just two kids who got caught in their net. Dick motioned to the rope tethering the net to the tree. Barbara had barely nodded when he cut the rope, the net falling to the ground.

* * *

"Son of a bitch!"

"What the-"

Artemis found herself on top of Wally for the second time. Her neck was already sore for the uncomfortable sleeping positions in the net, but now every bone in her body ached from the sudden drop. Cursing, she crawled off Wally before helping him to his feet.

"Shit she's infected." The male's voice caught her off-guard. Her head shot up finding herself looking down the long barrels of both their guns. Instinctively her ams shot in the air, sleeves at her elbows. The rashes seemed bigger in that moment, like they would spread to the rest of her body at any second. She didn't know what was more terrifying - the guns, or the idea that she could get worse.

"There's been a misunderstanding. We can explain." Wally's voice was calm as he inched closer to her side. The redhead turned her rifle on him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Oh, I know. Red, your girlfriend's infected, and she doesn't really want to see you anymore. It's not you, it's her."

"No, if you would let us explain for one second-" The girl advanced, butting him in the chest with her gun. She walked him back towards the clearing, away from the trees and Artemis. Panic was setting in. They didn't even make it twenty-four hours.

Artemis looked back at the boy facing her. He looked to young to be doing this, but he was handling the whole situation with such nonchalance. One eyebrow raised as he looked back at her. His lips formed a hard line, mocking their distress.

"Any last words?"

She looked to Wally for some sort of guidance, but got nothing. He looked as lost as she did. The boy in front of her shrugged as she turned back. Nothing seemed right, so she said the first thing that came to mind. Her eyes shut as tightly as they could in preparation for the pain.

"Barry Allen sent us to get a car from some guy he used to know so I can get out to California to provide a cure for this whole zombie thing." The words poured out faster than she could stop them. The boy and the redhead looked to one another, the former smirking as he lowered his gun. The girl lowered her's as she stormed over to hit him on the shoulder.

"You little troll! How long have you known?!"

"About five minutes." He shouldered the shotgun before turning back to Artemis. "Yup, the world may be ending, but word still gets around. I'm Dick, and you must be Artemis."

He offered his hand to her, but Artemis couldn't bring herself to lower her own arms. She looked between the three of them once more. Dick smiled as the girl massaged her temples. When her eyes landed on Wally he gave another shrug, his own arms still in the air.

"An explaination? Please?" Wally asked.

* * *

The tension didn't ease up much as they walked through the grass towards Blüdhaven. Dick and Barbara, as she had introduced herself, explained how things weren't much better off in their area of town. The places was crawling with infected, mostly sleepers, the quiet kind that didn't do much. They spent most of their time standing around than actually hunting. It was the howlers that were causing all the trouble. They traveled in packs of three to five, but unlike the sleepers, actively searched the area and didn;t need provocation to attack. On their own they were fine, but they were loud and attract the attention of almost every nearby infected. What started out as a group of five can quickly become twenty or thirty.

"It's what happened to pretty much all the big metropolitan areas," Barbara explained. She walked with her head over her shoulder, always looking out. "There are still a couple of us in the Blüdhaven/Gotham area making sure not everything goes to shit, but there's only so much we can do. The city's pretty much a jungle-gym of booby traps and rundown buildings. Really the only clean area is the center"

"But how did you know we were coming?" Wally and Artemis marched a few steps behind the others, still wary of the situation.

"The Ol' Bat's got his ways," Dick responded. He had turned to face them while walking backwards.

"But there's no post service anymore. And even with electricity, there's no internet."

"He likes the exercise."

Artemis stopped in her tracks. "Wait. You're telling me that there's some zombie survivalist superguy running back and forth between Blüdhaven and the facility where we stayed, and I had to walk here by myself?"

"He likes to check the traps along the way," Dick said with a smile. "Besides he's not great company. You'd probably be much better off with your uh-"

"Nope," Wally and Artemis said together. Dick grinned.

"Right." He turned back around and started walking again. "How's everything looking, Babs?"

"100 meters off I'd say. She's smart."

"Who's smart?" No matter how much they explained, Artemis still felt lost.

"Oh, we're being followed," Barbara responded, turning back to face the rest of the group. The concern must have shown on her face. "There's noting we can do out in the open. We're getting close to the outskirts of town, and we can do something then."

They walked in silence, ever conscious of the figure following them. So many times Artemis wished to look back to try and catch a glimpse, but knew it would be risking too much. Time moved slowly as the scenery blurred together, and it felt like they would never reach their destination. She seemed exist somewhere between awake and sleep as they traveled.

It was after the tenth clump of trees that buildings started to form on the horizon. They were mostly squat houses or gas stations, all abandoned. In the distance, larger buildings loomed, a welcome sight to the four of them. Without a word they carefully picked up the pace. Each step was quicker and lighter as they got closer to the abandoned houses.

"We can sneak in and out through these houses," Dick whispered. "They should be clean, so we won't have to worry about anything once we hit cover. When we break 50 meters, we'll start running, and Barbara will handle the dirty work."

"I think you mean have all the fun." She turned around to face Wally and Artemis as she talked. "Just keep running and don't look back. Do everything Dick tells you. I'll be five minutes behind you." The two nodded as she spoke. "Now, if you don't mind…" Barbara took hold of her rifle and aimed towards the farthest cluster of trees. The shot rang out across the field as the three took off running.

Artemis compulsively grabbed Wally's hand, his faster pace pulling her along. Dick led them straight into the backyard of deserted home, twisting through rooms, out the side entrance and into another. The pattern continued, Dick tossing makeshift smoke bombs here and there to loose their trail. Eventually they came to a stop in the middle of the neighborhood. Outside smoke settled heavily in the streets. Dick checked his bags, sighing at his lack of supplies.

"Bruce is going to kill me." He ran into the kitchen and came back with various odds and ends that seemed more important to him than they did Artemis.

"Won't Barbara get lost in all this smoke? She has no idea where we are, and we ran through like a dozen houses."

"We take the same route in and out of this neighborhood. All the other ones are trapped - nets, explosives, whatever. She'll be fine. Plus she's not too far behind. She should be here any minute."

Artemis felt herself sliding down a doorframe towards the floor, thankful to be sitting properly for the first time in hours. Her hands reached to her blonde hair tied back behind her head. Her fingers found a free lock and began twisting it, feeling the individual strands leave her fingertips. The sun was already setting in the distance casting the room in an orange glow.

Somewhere in the distance a low guttural howl sounded. Three heads shot up at the sound as Barbara crashed through the side door. She panted heavily before standing upright.

"She's…She's really quick, but I lost her. I think she stumbled into a nest of howlers, though? We need to go. Also I think I'm out of ammo."

Dick nodded before shouldering his pack. Out through the backdoor, most of the smoke had dissipated. Quietly they snuck between houses, making sure to not alert anyone or thing to their presence. They went quickly this time, not stopping to check for cover, just straight through, lucky enough to not find any trouble.

On the other side, the city of Blüdhaven stretched out before them. Vines and folliage seemed to cover every building, coming from any and all crack and spaces it could find, reaching for the calming sun. There was scarcely a sign of human life, or anything really. Not even strays roamed the streets searching for scraps. The place was truly abandoned. Barbara and Dick lead them towards the center of town, under and over various straps, all handmade and all incredibly deadly.

"Looks like someone doesn't want neighbors," Wally remarked as he climbed under a thin wire.

"So he's a bit eccentric, but he's kept a near two mile radius clean, and that's not bad for an area pretty much surrounded by water."

"Ok, so when so we get to meet Blüdhaven's mysterious savior?" Artemis's slender frame slipped around the wires with ease.

"Right now." Dick pulled a heavy metal door aside on an old warehouse nestled among some of the larger buildings. Completely unassuming and protected, the building inside was completely different. Clean and teaming with the electricity of who knew how many generators, they had obviously arrived at their destination. "Welcome to the Bat Cave…The Blüdhaven branch."


	4. Bruce

Inside the warehouse teemed with electricity as the four stepped through the doors. Generators and wires ran from the rafters high above down to the floors giving life to TVs and lights. The building hummed with a gentle vibration. The last bit of humanity in Blüdhaven.

Wally gave an impressed whistle as he walked towards the wall of screens. The system was hardly state of the art, housing six televisions of various size and make. Each one showed a different area of the city, and even some of the more rural small grove where Artemis and Wally had spent the previous night could be seen in one of the bottom corners.

"So you guys must have a shitload of generators going to power all this." His eyes danced as they followed the wires up and up far above him.

"Yup, and couple of car batteries, some solar panels." Dick threw his bag down, talking as he closed the doors. "Kind of impressive how he did it really."

"That's because I did it," Barbara interjected. "Seriously, how would you expect Bruce to do any of this?" She sat down in an old chair in front of the screens.

"You did all of this?" Wally asked. He looked around, still impressed by his surroundings. "The center back home had a lab, but most of the electricity went to lights and very basic equipment. Nothing on this scale."

"Most of what lies outside is on solar, but they're a bitch to put together. Almost killed myself a half dozen times trying to get all the materials. What's in here runs on car batteries and even a couple of gas powered ones."

"That was my idea." The door finally closed as Dick rested against it.

"Yes, you're a true technological genius." Barbara swiveled around in her chair to face the screens. "No sign of Bruce on screen. Think he's home?"

"No way. If he were he'd be in that chair."

Their voices trailed off as Artemis walked around the building, totally lost in the mess of the wired building around her. There was nothing like this back home. Lights, basic refrigeration, and Barry's lab, that's where the power went. And sure they were allowed to watch a movie every now and again, mostly just for birthdays, really, but this was a whole new level. To be honest there wasn't even much to look at where she was, just wires hanging down from their sources above. Her foot dusted a couple of tools on the ground as she watched a patch of sparks come off some revealed wires. She backed up to avoid the sparks, but only managed to back into something else. Turning quickly Artemis found herself staring up into two very dark and very angry eyes.

"I didn't mean to," she blurted. The figure walked past as Artemis quickly followed towards the others. "Dick let us in and Barry sent us, he said you know him and could…"

"You brought them here?" His voice was deep and powerful and felt as if it shook the entire building. Dick immediately sat up from the floor as Barbara continued to turn in her chair. Wally's eyes locked onto Artemis's, his eyebrows cocked.

"We were being followed, besides you knew she was coming." There was a slight tremble in Dick's voice as he spoke.

"And now your pursuers know where we are."

"You're hardly a secret, Bruce. The entire east coast knows you're here." Barbara had stopped in front of the monitors.

His eyes narrowed. "You could have lead someone here."

"So what? I lead them through town and waste all the traps? This saved time and resources, and you know it." Bruce stared down at Dick who seemed to gaining some confidence. He must have struck some kind of cord as Bruce was now turning back to the two newcomers. Wally and Artemis had inched closer together, both pairs of eyes darting between Dick and Bruce. Barbara remained motionless in front of the monitors.

"That's not the point."

"No, I'm pretty sure the point is getting a car, so we can leave," Artemis mumbled. The older man turned to look at her, clearly having heard her comment. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Wally palm his face. She rolled her eyes. "Well, it's true. We're not here for a field trip. You're supposed to help me get a car."

"Cars are hardly a plentiful resource, and most of the working parts have been scavenged." Barbara's voice floated over from the chair. The screens behind her showed mostly ruin, scrapped cars, and sleepers.

"But there are working parts somewhere? Or enough parts to at least get one started?" The blonde head turned from the other girl back towards Bruce, who's stone cold demeanor seemed to deepen after that question. From behind the chair, Barbara turned around, eyeing the man. Their eyes held a conversation that he was plainly loosing.

"Don't get too comfortable." Bruce said before turning for the door. Dick quickly got out of the way to let him pass, half-heartedly finding himself next to Barbara, who threw a quick wink to Artemis. The door shut with a large bang.

"He seems friendly," Wally offered. Artemis playfully bumped him and Dick chuckled.

"Don't take it too personally. He treats everyone that way, especially us."

"So what? He goes out and magically returns with a minivan or something?" Artemis had returned to looking around the old building, deeming it safe to pry. Barbara snorted.

"No, he's probably resetting all the traps. He won't be back till late, if he's back at all tonight. We'll most likely go car shopping tomorrow." Artemis nodded in reply.

"I'm gonna look around." She turned before anyone said anything else. Wally caught up to her in a matter of steps, and she could feel his eyes on her. "Yes?"

"Nothing," he said. He quickened so he could walk in front, turning around to face her. "You're getting nervous."

"I'm not nervous."

"You're getting defensive."

"I'm not defensive."

"Uh-huh. Remind me what the definition of defensive is again?"

"Wally, what do you want?" She continued followed him, despite him facing the wrong way.

"I want you to breathe…In, out…and stop worrying."

"I'm not worried."

"No, but you will be, and when that happens, I'd like to avoid becoming a punching bag, okay?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well, I have about a dozen scars on my knees if you need a reminder all the same."

Artemis's eyes finally left his to look around. The area held less electricity, and looked like it was mostly storage. Spare ammunition and weapons laid scattered about amongst crates of odds and ends. Bricks, empty bottles, assorted hardware, it all had a purpose in Bruce's eyes, while Artemis couldn't even comprehend how it all fit together.

"You should get these guys to help out back home when this is all over," she said, her eyes following the ceiling as high as it went.

"You mean we." Wally watched her, his inquisitive gaze having never left her face.

"Right."

* * *

Silence enveloped the room as Artemis started up at the ceiling. Barbara had offered the room's only bed, instead lying on the floor on a second mattress. Somewhere down the hall, Wally was lost to Artemis, presumably sharing a room with Dick.

"So," her voice cut through the air. "What's it like? The infection and everything?"

Artemis shifted. "I'd hardly notice it if it weren't for everyone talking about it."

"Oh. Sorry."

"No, it's fine. It's not your fault." She exhaled through her nose. "How were you supposed to know?"

Barbara shifted across the room. "Well, after you've saved the planet, you should definitely come back through Blüdhaven. It's nice not being the only girl for once."

"You mean you don't like being with Dick and Bruce everyday?" she joked.

The redhead laughed and it filled up the room. "I mean, Dick's great to have around for all of the obvious reasons, but...Listen, Artemis, we are surrounded by idiots. We girls need to stick together."

Artemis was touched by her kindness and smiled to herself. That would have been the ideal - provide a cure, help clean up the country, kind of like those superheroes in all those old comics Wally liked to read. But things probably weren't going to go that way, at least not how Barry described it. She sighed.

"I uh…I think the trip out west is going to be a bit more of a permanent move for me. Wally could always come back though. It's close enough to home."

"He's not staying with you?"

"No, there's not really any reason why he would…I'm not going to be uh…" She paused trying to think of how to word her thoughts. After a few heavy seconds Barbara spoke.

"Oh." Artemis didn't respond. "I - Does he-"

"No," she said immediately. "I don't want him to." She rolled over onto her side, the one she assumed was away from Barbara. "He's all I got, and telling him would just..." Artemis let out another deep sight before rolling back over to look at Barbara. "Look, there are only about five people who know about this, and to be honest I hate talking about it, so you cannot tell him. That has to be something I do…hopefully before we get to California."

In the darkness the blonde could faintly make out a nodding motion from Barbara's area. She sighed as she laid back down, thoughts rushing through her head, mostly the surgery and Wally. Each time she drifted off a new worry came to mind, one by one until light slowly started filtering in through the window.

* * *

Bruce unfolded a map on the floor on the ground level. Before them old streets of Blüdhaven webbed out under hastily made notes and annotations. A large red circle surrounded a small area of the city, the part of the industrial district where they were located. Red X's marked out areas around them in what had been once densely populated areas.

"This should be easy enough for even the two of you so long as you stay close." He was marking routes on the map and circling new buildings, a few accompanied by question marks.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Artemis was cranky after two nights in a row of less than pleasurable sleep. It wasn't so much that she hadn't slept well the night prior, she just spent most of the night worrying about Wally and the trip only to be woken earlier than hoped.

"Most of the cars within the safe zone have been picked over in the last years. What remains is in poor condition and at least three to five miles away, and there is no easy way to get there. Sleepers inhabit most of the city…" His fingers gestured over the map as he pointed to various marked areas. "There are a couple colonies of biters, but most reside within old apartment and office buildings."

"Biters?" Wally yawned. He scratched the back of his neck as he listened.

"The big ones with the teeth," Dick explained

"We're going to want to head towards this area," Bruce continued. "Parking garages, apartment buildings. More cars means a better chance of finding one that still works."

"Didn't you just say that is where all the biters are?" Artemis was now leaning on the table in an effort to not fall asleep.

"If you're not willing to get dirty you might as well turn around and go home now other wise you might be able to do some good in this world." His dark eyes flashed to her holding some kind of sadness that she couldn't quite see. Quickly, he turned back to the map continuing the plan. "We're going to bring some basic tools and a battery with us, but nothing that will slow us down. If we go this way," his fingers once again traced a route on the map, "we should hit minimal trouble and reach the area before nightfall."

It seemed simple enough to Artemis. Get in, grab a car, leave, but Dick, Barbara, and Bruce were packing for a war. Ammo, rags, and alcohol went in one bag while the second held the car battery, various auto parts, and a couple jugs of fluid. The third, Bruce's pack, held even more ammo and basic supplies, along with some even more complicated looking objects - compressed cans of who knows what and bottles of clear liquid.

Wally and Artemis still had their sacks from home which contained little more than a change of clothes and a few days provisions. On top of Wally's bag was his pistol, still unfired, though Artemis couldn't say how much longer that would last. A quick tap on the shoulder caused her to turn, finding herself face to face with an intimidating weapon.

"Crossbow," Barbara said. "You don't look like the gun type." She winked before showing her how to load it, puling back on the strings before loading in the bolt. "Safety, aim, shoot." The arrow flew out, hitting one of nearby crates. "But they can also be a pain in the ass, and don't load quickly, so just to be safe," She reached behind her and brought out a rifle. "Fairly similar if you think about it. Bullets go in here, pull on the bolt, safety, aim, fire." Once again she walked through the steps, this time not firing.

"How old is this thing?" Artemis asked. Her hands were careful to not go near the trigger.

"I have no clue honestly. I think Bruce said it belonged to his dad or something."

"And he doesn't mind me using this?"

"Let's just assume he doesn't know," Barbara winked before walking towards Wally, giving him a similar talk and a box of ammunition.

They were out the door less than twenty minutes later, and back out into the wild. Bruce lead the way followed closely by Dick and Barbara. Wally and Artemis brought up the rear, neither one knowing what to expect. The route had them going about five miles out, but Artemis found herself hoping it would be closer to three. Going farther out meant wilder territory and sorer feet. The morning dragged on, most of the time spent avoiding traps than infected. There were no stops for breaks or food. A couple of times Bruce would peek into a building for supplies, but often came out empty handed.

The sun was starting to make its way overhead when they finally left the safe zone. Alleyways filled with traps soon gave way to mess and decay with makeshift barricades blocking most of the roads. Their only reliable option was to make their way through the abandoned buildings which unfortunately meant nests of infected. Most were easily avoidable, preferring the lower levels, forcing the group to trek up stairs to avoid them.

It wasn't until the fourth building out of the safe zone that all hell broke loose. Sneaking low to the ground, Bruce lead them to the stairs, Dick and Barbara quickly following with Wally and Artemis watching each step they took. It was in that brief moment of looking up that completely screwed her over. Artemis winced as her foot made contact with an old aluminum can, sending it rolling across the floor. The tinny noise echoed across the building, sounding louder and louder with each second. Artemis opened her eyes. Dick, Barbara, and Wally all looked pained. Slowly she adjusted her gaze to Bruce, who looked ready to kill. In the distance snarls and growls hurried towards the source of the noise. Biters.

Bruce only needed one word.

"Run."


	5. Escape

A small drop of blood trickled down Barry's chin as the hulking man paced in front him. Behind him, a small group stood gathered, watching as Barry got the crap beat out of him. The large man rubbed his temples.

"We know the kid was here, Barry. Just do yourself a favor and tell us where or even who he is, and we'll be on our way." Barry looked up. The man was large, unbelievable large with short cropped blonde hair and sour disposition, though something in his face was oddly familiar. He was the classic villain of the movies he had grown up on as a child, the "This-will-hurt-you-more-than-me" kind of guy who delighted in every second of torture.

"I told you. Haven't foggiest." The large man's fist made contact once more before he took a seat across from Barry.

"Now, Barry - May I call you Barry?" He didn't wait for a response. "You're a man of science, so let me level with ya here. My friends and I here with The Light, we just want what everyone wants. A cure for this goddam disease. And if I understand everything correctly, that's what you're workin' on, right?" This time he looked to Barry for a reply.

Barry spat blood on the floor. "You could say that." His voice was weak.

"Good, good. Now why can't we work together? You do the science bit, and we talk care of the distribution. Before ya know it, world's saved and you're sittin' on a wad of cash the size of Texas, or at least what's left of it."

Barry spit out more blood before giving a lighthearted scoff. "Monopolizing pharmaceuticals won't save the country. Besides...they're not even in the building by now. You'll never catch them."

The man's eyes hardened. In a swift motion, he stood up, knocking his chair back was he did. He moved to strike when the door burst open, a small women yelling as she entered.

"Two kids gone down a garbage chute, Lawrence. Who know where it comes out." The group in the room jumped back from her anger despite her small size. She couldn't be more than 5'6", yet she commanded the room. That is, all but Lawrence.

"Then why aren't you going after them? What if that's the kid we're looking for?" His attention had diverted from Barry, though it didn't seem for long.

"They dove head first into a medical lab's waste, they aren't going far...Assuming they landed in a pile of used needles." She never broke eye contact with Lawrence, and Barry realized why the scene seemed all too familiar. He had only seen it every day for years.

"Get back there and bring me those kids before I feed you to a pack of rabid Infected, hear me?" The woman rolled her eyes, gave mock salute as she turned for the door, flipping the room off as he went. A long strain of expletives followed after, from both her and Lawrence. He turned back to Barry. "Now where were we?"

* * *

Scrapes and howls chased the group as they ran through the abandoned building. Wally's hand gripped Artemis's tight as he sprinted towards Bruce, away from the pack of biters. Behind them, Dick and Barbara did everything they could to delay the horde. Dick turned over tables and chairs as Barbara worked to ignite her lighter. With a spark it caught, and she quickly held it to the alcohol soaked rag, sparing no moment to toss it at the Infected. The bottle hit one square in the face and instantly exploded, dousing its in flames.

"Up ahead. Stairwell. We can barricade them off," Bruce hollered.

Artemis glanced over her shoulder at the fight behind her, mesmerized by Dick and Barbara. It seemed for each one they killed, another would take its place. They never ended.

"Artemis-"

They seemed nonplused by their surroundings, like it was the millionth time they'd done this. And it probably was.

"Artemis-"

The world slowed as she looked around. Blood spattered the surroundings. New biters seemed to surface out of nowhere and the room spun. Her face made contact with the floor.

"Artemis!"

Her eyes turned up in time to see Wally hovering over her. His shirt and face were speckled with fresh blood. In his hand he held a large rock that dripped down onto her shoulder. Wally set the rock down and pulled her up, leaving new blood stains on her sleeves.

"Come on. You have to run."

Blood and pus leaked from what was left of the now dead biter. She tried to run, but Artemis couldn't tear herself away. The broken face had been starting to grow fungus when it was still alive. Most of the biters chasing them were in a similar state. They were humanoid enough, some still had eyes, but most were blind, following the sounds of their heavy footfalls.

Dick ran past them with a large chair raised over his head. Artemis saw the door nearing close as they ran. Something clicked in head, and she raced forward to match Wally's speed. Bruce was yelling at the four of them while he held open the door. Barbara continued to pick a couple Infected off as Dick continued to bring more and more furniture into the tiny stairwell before them.

Their yelling was amplified within the small stone hallway. Wally pushed her forward through the door, and her feet caught on the steps. Dick arranged chairs and small tables around the door as Bruce attempted to shut it against the oncoming hoard. Over top all the noise, Artemis could only hear the screeches of the Infected outside the door. She fell back onto the stairs, watching everything in silence. Wally fell down beside her, his hands shaking. His hands were clenched in bloody fists. She sighed.

This was nothing like they had imagined. When they were younger, they had pictured things much happier. Finally getting to learn to drive, seeing the outside world in all its beauty, a road trip.

Artemis took Wally's hands in her's and gently uncurled his fingers. He jumped from the contact, but didn't shy away. Her mouth drew into a firm line as she wiped the drying blood from his face.

"You look worse than usual." Her words were soft, but she was certain he heard them.

"You didn't see any of that, did you?" His words were haggard, pleading. For once his green eyes barely met hers.

"See what?" It didn't seem to help much, and his eyes stayed focused on the ground in front of him. The world around them calmed, but Artemis kept a hold of his hand in hers. Bruce and Barbara leaned against the sides of the walls catching their breath. Somewhere in the piles of chairs, Dick could be heard groaning.

"Next time," Bruce panted, "you be more careful." Heat rose to her cheeks. It was the last thing Artemis needed after almost dying.

"I'm sorry, but it's only my third day out of the cage, so excuse me if I don't know how to handle swarms of the undead running after me." She glanced back to Wally before returning his hand to his lap. "We're fine, by the way. No bites, no broken bones. Your concern is touching."

"Don't take that tone with me."

"Then don't dish it out."

"Let's just get upstairs. We can find out where to go from there." Barbara's interruption was welcome, and Artemis silently thanked her. She looked rough. Barbara had done most of the offensive work, and it showed. Bits of her shirt was singed, and blood and debris littered her red hair though she didn't seem to notice The hard work suited Barbara well.

Upstairs wasn't much better. The higher up they went, the more the floors caved in making it harder to get across. However, Infected were few and far between on the upper levels, though the occasional wail could be heard from the floors below. Large holes in the walls opened up to city of Blüdhaven. Artemis inched over to the opening. Tall buildings surrounded them like trees. The concrete forest mixed with the growing foliage in a way that was almost pretty. Visiting a real city had always been a dream of Artemis's. To see the buildings, traffic, the people, a city alive with its citizens.

"This city's alive alright," she mumbled, "but it's trying to kill us."

* * *

There were plenty of cars for them to choose from. The issue was finding one with all the right parts. Abandoned cars stood frozen in time in the parking garage. Weeds and grew out of the slabs of concrete and onto the cars. Most had broken windows from looters, and almost all of them were out of gas.

"No one thought to just drive these out of here?" Wally asked. His hands slid over the dusty cars leaving newly polished traces on the hood.

"You ever been in a traffic jam, kid?" Bruce pulled his head out of the hood of an old pickup truck and shook his head.

"No, see we were born after the infection spread. Or do I need to remind you of my condition?" Artemis's kicked a small pebble along the drive. Her feet hurt and she was actually getting tired of the outdoors.

"What did I say about using that tone?"Artemis rolled her eyes and Bruce continued. "Even if people could manage to get the car stared, they wouldn't have made it through the checkpoints. Government was so convinced it would lead the spread of disease, but in the end, most people moved from here to Gotham."

"And there are strangely no Infected here because...?"

"Not enough room." Dick slammed the hood of another car, and turned back to them. He wiped the sweat from his brow and left a longs line of grease across his forehead.

"So what are we looking for exactly? Besides a car," she added eyeing Dick. She had only known him for a a few days, but she could already tell he had a knack for being annoying. No wonder he and Wally got along.

"Parts, gas, a motor...Keys would be nice, but not important." Curses came from Barbara's vehicle as she closed the hood. "Do you know how to drive a stick?" Wally and Artemis both shook their heads. "Then we are also looking for something that's standard. Maybe four wheel drive-"

"Which no one drove in Blüdhaven." Bruce yelled. He was already neck deep in another vehicle by the time the four of them had caught up to him. "This one might work, but we're going to have to be quick about it." He looked around like he was expecting an ambush. "It's going to start getting dark soon, and an engine is likely to attract some attention,"

Barbara got to work on the car, checking under the hood and body of the old Jeep. She was clearly a genius at everything, not just computers. "Comes with the territory when you're making generators out of old lawnmowers," she had said the night before. Dick got to work siphoning gas out of other cars into smaller containers for their journey. Artemis sat on the ground feeling useless.

She was apparently going to save the world by doing absolutely nothing.

Time passed slowly, and Artemis had moved to the side of the building, her legs dangling freely over the side. Barbara had moved to working on the actual car, all kinds of tools being pulled from her backpack. It had been remotely quiet up until she accidentally dropped the battery. Expletives flew out as she clutched at a red hand cursing the corroded battery, but the new one seemed to find its way in place soon enough.

"Son of a bitch this thing hurts!" The job was done, but Barbara's hand still flared red. Artemis smiled as Barbara swatted Dick away. He was overly worried about her hand and kept rambling on and on about infection. She threw her stuff in the back of the car and turned to look at the group.

"So, is this it?" It had happened a little too fast for her, and now she was suddenly time to leave it all. "We start the car and go?" Bruce stood up.

"We can go with you to the edge of the town, make sure you make it, but after that you're on your own." Artemis could only imagine what was going through his head - relief she was leaving, possible concern over their fate, dinner. She looked at Wally.

"You're driving."

He hopped in the front seat and looked around. "Uh, there are no keys."

"Oh, juuuust tap the two wires peaking out there under the steering wheel. Hopeful the wheel won't lock up when you do that. When you want to turn the car off, untwist the other two wires." Barbara threw her tools back into her backpack before piling into the back seat. "Ah," she sighed. "Cushions feel nice."

The wires sparked the car to life with a roar that made Artemis nearly jump out of her skin. Bruce talked Wally through backing out of the parking spot, impressively restraining himself when Wally hit the car behind them.

Outside the garage the motor brought the city to life. The unknown sound seemed to draw Infected out from all directions as they drove through the unfamiliar streets. The first slammed the hood of the car, splattering blood over the windshield. Bruce was quick to act. His torso shot out the window, though it didn't seem like he should fit. As soon as the thing appeared, it disappeared only this time it left even more blood.

"Wally, drive faster, turn when I tell you to. Dick, take left side. Artemis, make sure they don't charge us from the front." He must have sensed her anxiety because as soon as she picked up the old rifle, he called to her again. "Artemis. Just aim, and shoot. You'll be fine."

The first one was the hardest. It didn't particularly look human anymore, but it was still alive. Her finger pulled the trigger much faster than her brain registered. Its head split open right down the middle, and Artemis pulled the bolt back. Barbara whooped in the back over her shot, but she kept her eyes forward, picking off any Infected that dared get too close.

Her aim was miraculously good, and words like "natural" and "amazing" floated up from the backseat, although they were hardly words that made her comfortable. But she had to admit, there was something exhilarating about it. Her shots landed right where she wanted, and she was clearly a natural. All those years in the cell, yet here she was shooting like a pro.

The crowds chasing them thinned off towards the edge of town, but Wally refused to stop until he knew for certain they were clear. Bruce was out of the car before they cam to a complete stop, and signaled for Dick and Barbara to do the same. Artemis and Wally piled out, and the other three began organizing their packs.

"You have five gallons of gas in the back, but that won't fill the tank. If you come across a couple cars, don't be afraid to stop and siphon some out. Do not keep the car running at night if you're not driving. I don't care how cold it gets. If the battery dies, you die. Scavenge all that you can, and do not, under any circumstances, get separated."

Artemis looked to Dick and Barbara for some sort of comfort, but only found them smirking. Dick gave her a subtle thumbs ups which did nothing to help her confidence. Bruce cleared his throat.

"Did you hear any of that?" She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I did." She glanced up to the sky that was quickly changing from afternoon to evening. "So, is this the part where we hug?"

Bruce narrowed his eyes, and gave the warmed goodbye he could muster. "Don't let anything happen to my father's gun."

Dick and Barbara gave quick hugs and words of wisdom. "You have to tell him sooner or later," the redhead said as they hugged.

"I pick later," she replied through a smile. "Go easy on the guys."

Artemis climbed into the passenger's side of the front seat, and Wally once again sparked the car to life. He paused for a moment then turned to look at her.

"Ready to go?"

"Not even kind of."

He switched the car into drive, and pressed his foot down on the gas. "Let's go then."


	6. Truth

The jeep bounced along the old roads as Wally drove them through Maryland. Most of the main roads had been destroyed in the previous years, overrun by foliage and abandoned cars. Taking the highway was out of the question, and Wally followed a couple of old maps as closely as possible, looking for any and all routes heading west.

Artemis slept in the passenger seat, the map gently held in her hands. Sleep took her almost four hours prior just as they left Blüdhaven, and her head shook with the motions of the car. She drooled in her sleep.

Wally glanced down at his hands on the steering wheel as he drove down the empty road. Dingy blood stained underneath his fingernails, taking his mind back to the Infected that had almost taken down Artemis. He shuddered as he looked back up at the road just in time to see them veering off. Adjusting quickly, he got them back on the road, but not without slamming Artemis's head into the side of the door.

"Oh fuck! Come  _on_ , Wally!" Wally had learned the hard way that waking Artemis was the number one way to get his ass kicked and an ear full. She rubbed her brow and swatted his arm. "Was that really necessary?"

"It wasn't on purpose; we were going off the road! And will you stop hitting me while I'm driving?" He pushed her arm away in an attempt to focus on the road before them - the empty, desolate road. Artemis looked around.

"So where are we?"

"Maryland. I think we're almost to West Virginia though." His fingered drummed on the wheel.

"Do we want to go through West Virginia?" Wally shrugged. He glanced down at the map now by Artemis's feet, and motioned for her to read it. "Ok so where exactly are we?"

"Haggardtown?"

"Hagarstown," she said after a pause. "Holy - Did I really sleep this long?"

"Yeah. And before you ask, yes, you do snore."

She rolled her eyes. "Har har." Hazel eyes danced over the map reading the names of cities she'd only dreamed of ever seeing. At the far end, Los Angeles. It was big. Bigger than Blüdhaven by far. She tried to imagine it - the desolate beaches and famous landmarks lost to The Infected and the wastes of the land. A lump rose in her throat, and Artemis quickly folded the map into something that resembled its original shape before stuffing it into the center console. She wiped the sleep from her eyes. "How far are we going tonight?"

"As far as we can, I guess. I would like to get to West Virginia, and we still have a decent amount of daylight left, so...we drive until it's dark."

"Are we really going to run into a pack of Infected all the way out here?"

"Who knows. All I know is that when the time comes, I'll be stretched out in the back sleeping. If you want to drive, be my guest."

Artemis sighed for what felt like the hundredth time. "I don't know how to dive."

"Then you can join me in what I am certain will be the beginning of many uncomfortable nights."

"How romantic." Despite her best efforts, Artemis wasn't able the hide the smile. Maybe in another life, another time, she might have tried pursuing Wally. Were it not for the Infection, it could have been nice. They'd kiss, maybe have sex once or twice, she'd die, and he'd move on. She'd deteriorate. Besides the situation didn't sound too romantic to her, just sad. There was also the fact that Artemis was almost certain that Wally actually hated her despite their years of friendship, so that made things complicated.

He kept talking - small talk, what he already missed about home. His mom's cooking came up twice, and it wasn't even that good. Just a little better that what they served in the cafeteria. After about ten minutes, Artemis stopped listening.

* * *

The hatch slammed near Artemis's head as she gazed up out of the window. They made it out of Maryland without any problems, stopping once to split a small can of soup. Outside West Virginia spread out before them. She wasn't tired, but luckily the view, though dark, was a decent one. Their bags sat up in the front giving room to put the back seats down to make room for the two of them to sleep. Her jacket and an old towel cushioned her head after discarding them, preferring comfort to heat. Up front, Wally double checked the locks.

"So." He tumbled over the center console into their makeshift bed.

"Must there always be conversation?"

"Yes." He continued without missing a beat. "So what's going on after this whole save the world gig?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well assuming we don't die on the way there, what's the plan for getting back?"

"I figured you'd drive."

"Yeah, ok. Then what?"

He settled into the back leaning on his elbow to look down on her. She returned the gaze after giving him one of her trademark eye rolls.

"You are incredibly annoying." Her eyes turned back to the sky once more. After a few minutes she turned back the boy beside her. He still held her gaze. "What has Barry even told you about the procedure?"

He shrugged. "Not much. I never really asked about it. Figured it would be like what you were doing back home...blood samples and whatever." She could see how uncomfortable it made him. Wally never liked needles, and was always suspiciously absent during that one part of her day.

"It's a little more invasive than that. Blood samples, tissue samples..." She stopped and contorted her face. "I think there was mention of a hole in my skull."

"Oh, that's gross."

"Yeah, I guess no one really knows how my body or the Infection is going to handle being," She made a vague hand gesture. "Open. They're not taking chances."

"What do you mean?"

The car felt smaller, and air seemed scarce. Artemis tried to turn back onto her back, but green eyes kept her from moving. She gathered her words and exhaled slowly.

"I mean I'm not going home." He didn't respond, and Artemis felt her stomach tighten up all the way through her throat. "Like, ever. This is it." Still Wally remained silent. "Are you really going to make me say it?"

"Say what? I don't - I don't get what you're saying!" His voice rose though he clearly understood what she was trying not to say. Deep down Artemis knew she owed him some sort of explanation, some warning that his journey home would be much different than the one out to Los Angeles. She could absolutely hit him.

"Wally..."A pause as she tried to word her sentence. "Wally there's no way of knowing if when they operate on me, I won't react the same as my mom. And luckily, even after a host dies, they can still study the actual Infection, so when we get to the S.T.A.R. Labs out there, when I go under for the surgery, I'm not going to wake back up."

She waited. Wally bit the inside of his cheek across her. He rolled over onto his back and started up out the window.

"You could try saying something," she said after a pause. "You always have something to say."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Oh, I don't know. 'Gee! That really sucks', maybe some cursing or tears or something." Artemis sat up, and picked at the upholstery on the floor.

"And there's nothing you can do."

"Like what, just not go?"

"That's a definite option."

"I can't just not go."

"Listen, I like saving the human race as much as the next guy, but I also like not dying. And I like it when you're not dying. Why does there even have to be death involved?"

"Wally-"

"No, why should I have to drive you to go die? What, we get out there and I just drop you off and leave?"

"Wally-" He was getting angry, which she was afraid would happen. Wally rarely lost his temper. When he did he had a bad habit of yelling, but luckily that was the extent of it. He sat up.

"It's just a little unfair to me, right? I'm supposed be ok with taking you out to California and just letting this happen? Where does that leave me?"

"You weren't supposed to -...Wally, it's not-"

"Is this even worth it? Is curing this really worth it?!"

A hand flew across Wally's left cheek though Artemis swore it wasn't her's. She held the now clenched fist in her other hand. Tears started to form in her eyes, but she refused to cry. Wally didn't look to surprised, but more as though he were trying to calm himself. He hand cradled his jaw.

"This thing ripped my family apart. It killed my mom, probably my dad, and took life away from just about everyone, and you're asking me if it's worth it? If it weren't for my mom I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be like this! And if I just decide not to this...She's dead for nothing. You're asking me to do that to her."

"That's not fair-"

"What's not fair? Me telling you why I have to do this? Because it's sure as hell not fair to her! And it's not fair to me that I'm stuck like this. So please, Wally, tell me where you drew the short end of the stick because I would really like to know."

He didn't respond. Artemis laid back down with her back facing Wally. She punched her makeshift pillow a few times to soften it up before settling down. If she wasn't tired before, she was wired now. Barry's wife had always told the two of them to never go to bed angry. It made for a terrible sleep, but there was no way to calm down. She tried her best to look out the side window, yet all she could see were the branches of trees.

Behind her, Wally remained still for a couple of minutes. He eventually laid down, and Artemis heard him sigh a few times. It sounded as though he wanted to say something, and she desperately wished he would at least apologize. Not to admit she was right, just proof that he was didn't actually hate her, to make her feel just a little bit human again.

She fell asleep think about her mother, and whether or not she'd be proud of her.

* * *

Artemis woke up to Wally's hand over her mouth and a finger to his lips. She struggled to get him off of her, but he didn't yield. Settling her down, he moved his finger from her mouth to the window behind them. A few seconds passed before the bloated head of an Infected stumbled by. She looked back, and Wally released her.

"On three, I'm going to jump into the driver's seat and start the car," he whispered. "I should be able to run over anything in front of us."

"And what do I do?"

"Grab a gun, and do what you did yesterday. Now, shut up!"

Wally slowly sat up as to not alert anything outside. With any luck, they just assumed their Jeep was one of the many along side the road. The seconds felt like hours as he crept into the driver's seat. Artemis waited in agony. Just as she felt the anxiety slipping away, the car horn sounded. The moment that followed was the longest of her life. Time slowed and her hands covered her face. Wally got the car started just as the first Infected hit the back window.

"Back up!" She yelled. "Back up, back up, back up, reverse-"

"Give me a second." The car flew into reverse and the Infected was gone under the car. Hitting the paved road, he threw the car into drive and sped away. Artemis forced the rear window open and took aim down the sights of her rifle. Feeling confident nothing could catch up to them, she returned to the front, not bothering to close the window.

"That was all your fault," she said as she plopped into her seat.

"How was that remotely my fault? I have no control over those things!"

"You do have control over who hits the horn, you jerk!" She reached over and hit the horn a couple of time despite his swats.

"Get off, or we're  _both_ going to wind up dead." Artemis narrowed her eyes at his response, making sure he saw. "Look, I'm sorry." He mostly kept his eyes on the road, glancing over to gage her reaction. He smiled. "I'm sorry, what do you want me to say? I was an ass!"

"You  _are_  an ass."

"I am an ass. An ass who will find a way for you to not die."

She groaned. "Wally..."

"No, listen. I was thinking about it all last night. I am all you have. We are stranded out here-"

"-In a car with a map-"

"-with no one else. You are not dying." He looked at her longer this time, lingering just enough for him to get his point across. "Now get out the map, and let's figure out where we are."

"Middle of nowhere. Why does it matter?"

"Because we are almost out of gas."

* * *

Dun DUN  **DUN! Aw man it's out there. It's official. Someone might die oh man. What a way to start the summer.**

**Also I managed to graduate so I actually have more time for this now? This is becoming such a fun thing to work on, upping the stuff more, putting their personalities into completely new settings...It's fun and I love it.**

**Thank you for the patience, and I hope to see you soon.**

**~mags**


	7. Rain

“They left Blüdhaven, and are heading west.”

“Then why didn’t you follow them?”

“Oh yes, and they have a car. And guns.”

 “Any reason why you didn’t go after them _in_ Blüdhaven?”

 "Because they were hanging around with the Old Bat, and his night terrors. If you think I was going to fight him single-handedly, you’re dumber than you look.”

A small group sat huddled around a small fire as Lawrence argued with the small woman in green. Around them was a small cluster of tents, just enough for the five of them. Lawrence rarely traveled in a smaller number. Five allowed for swiftness as well as strength, even if it meant traveling with the fierce temper of his own daughter.

 “Girl, I swear if you weren’t my own flesh and blood I’d have left you to die a long time ago.”

“Don’t be so dramatic, Lawrence. We both know that’s not true.” Jade sat and pulled out the small knife at her side. She fiddled for a moment before starting to sharpen it, never taking her eyes off the tall man before her. He sighed.

 “West.”

 “Well, there’s nothing out east.” He processed, and she watched him disappear into a tent for a moment. When he returned he had a map in hand that he spread near the fire for light. The others watched, but remained silent as he marked numerous cities across the country. Jade watched over his shoulder.

 “Star, Coast, L.A., Vegas...Congratulations. You know elementary geography.”

 “The larger cities are the ones that still have people in them, nevertheless ones who could create an antidote of any kind.” His eyes moved across the paper. “If she’s going anywhere, it’s out there.”

* * *

The white halls twisted like a maze before her. Silence.  No matter where Artemis looked, she couldn’t find anyone. She had been walking for what felt like hours, but still the halls looped endlessly. Time and time again they lead her back to her room. Somewhere she heard someone whisper something unintelligible.

Probably the wind.

She turned around this time, going back the way she came in stead of going forward, but the halls changed around her. Her door reappeared before her like it had before, only this time slightly ajar. The whispering continued. She was able to make out a few more words this time, her name included.

“Do it.”

It begged her open the door. A hand reached out that she could scarcely recognize as her own. The patches of dry skin on her wrists had worsened, turning to bright red pustules covering her hand. Her fingers were more bloated and sickly than she remembered them being, but still moved with the same strength and dexterity that she knew.

The room was exactly as she had left it. The cleanliness of it all made her uneasy. It was as of she had inhaled the cleaner. The lights above seemed brighter and she squinted at the stark whiteness of the walls. Her chair was still in the middle of the room, though not empty. It was then that she noticed the whispering growing louder, more clear. She could identify words now. They all danced together, as if muttered by a million voices, but they all came from the single source in the chair.

Artemis stepped towards the figure. Her steps we heavier than they had been outside. She moved slowly despite her urgency. Every time she glimpsed the person in the chair their appearance changed. Blonde hair, dark hair, hunched over, proud, old, young. The closer she was, the more the images mixed, the louder the voices became. But she couldn’t be more than three feet away when they turned around.

“Wake up!”

She nearly hurt herself sitting upright. It felt like she was sweating out of every pore in her body. Wally looked around with his eyes still half shut.

“Why is my hand wet?”

Artemis gasped for air. She felt like she drowning, emotionally at least. Wally watched her as she steadied her breathing. Her head fell to her hands, and she tried to forget everything she just saw. Artemis jumped at the touch of Wally’s hand on her shoulder. It felt foreign even though it had been there plenty of times before. He didn’t seem taken aback, though, and her head fell back into one of her hands. They sat in silence for a moment until Wally dozed off where he sat. 

Artemis stared out the window until morning.

* * *

Appalachia passed by in a foggy haze. Autumn was in full swing, and Artemis was grateful for the spare jacket someone had stuffed in her bag. Grey mountains linking West Virginia and Kentucky provided much needed reprieve from the Infected. They seemed to prefer the more densely pack areas of large cities where people still congregated. A few solitary roamed the woods, but rarely attempted chase. Most were in their rearview mirror just as quickly as they had appeared.

Artemis had taken to hunting, another benefit from the isolation of the mountains. Game was everywhere. Using the crossbow wasted less ammo. Most of the bolts were reusable. Her aim had improved, which Wally found hard to believe was possible. She quickly how to kill in one shot, how to remove fur, hunting...

She hated hunting, but it kept them alive. She felt like she should have been doing something with the furs, but in the end they were just a bloody mess. The smell hung around in the car and their clothes for days. 

It was in her hair, too, which was getting long. Wally had dark ginger whiskers growing in that he would rub furiously with the palms of his hands. It scratched the back of her shoulders when they slept, and was all together unbecoming to the point that she made him shave it.

“You’re going to shave my face off,” he said.

“I’m not going to shave your face off.”

“Why should I believe you?”

“Because I can’t kill you. I need you to drive me across 10 or so states.”

Artemis sat on the banks of the Ohio River not far out of Louisville while Wally splashed water on his face. She flipped the pocket knife he had found over in her hand. The initials on the handle were barely still visible. A “G” remained though the first two letters had faded over time. She pulled the largest blade out, and looked at it. Hardly the sharpest thing in the world, but it would get the job done. It was sharp enough to slow down one of the Infected they ran into a while back. Not the most ideal weapon, but perfect for a post-apocalyptic shave. She turned to him, knife in hand. 

“You know what you’re doing?” He was more playful than nervous. Shrugging, she sat down in front of him.

“Just shut up, and don’t move.” 

They were nine the last time they were this close. Every freckle was in the same spot as they had been back then. They littered his face from ear to ear. She gave a slight tap on the bottom of his chin. He complied smiling. 

He hummed. “Careful...”

“What did I just say?”

She successfully managed the first swipe without cutting him. Her fingers brushed the side of his neck. Half of the hair was still there. The result of a dull blade. Artemis ran the knife along the spot again, this time coming away clean. She was too afraid to apply pressure so close to his throat. Better a little razor burn than blood. It was slow going doing every spot twice, and she was faintly aware of where her fingers were on his face.

He seemed tense, but it was always herd to tell. It seemed to her that Wally was only ever happy. Very rarely was he visibly upset, and he was always masking everything with humor. He didn’t seem worried, or uncomfortable. On the contrary, he was perfectly content to have her this close to him. Most mornings she woke up cuddled near him from the cold or the Infected. The first time was awkward enough, but it soon became a normal part of their mornings. As normal as things could be anyway.

Artemis lowered his head and started on his cheeks. This part was much easier, though now he was able to watch her while she worked. It was annoying. She paused to return his look, and he smiled. Her heart fluttered.

“Stop doing that.”

“Stop doing what?”

“I have a knife.”

“I’m not doing anything!”

They were in a good area to stay for a day or two. Fishing from the river meant saving ammo. It also meant she could have some semblance of a bath. She might not be totally clean, but it would at least relieve her of a layer of grime. The car had also coasted in on fumes. 

Wally insisted that they go closer to the city to look for gas. She couldn’t blame him. The cans they had were empty, and being on the water gave them some protection. They would have to brave the city eventually if they had any hope of continuing. Downtown offered the only bridge over the river for miles, but Artemis didn’t dare leave until they had every container full. Stopping to siphon every so many miles made for a slow journey with frequent stops and no promise of gas. 

Fortunately for them being near a large city meant gas stations everywhere, but gas stations also made the perfect location for nests of sleepers and biters. There was always someone stupid enough to go the abandoned gas station, and today it was them.

Their bags were loaded down with the small gas cans and bottles to hold what they found. Though they were light at the moment, they would soon be almost too heavy to carry.

Wally and Artemis snaked through the grass, guns in hand. A few cars remained at the pumps, frozen in time. Around them, Infected wandered waiting for anything resembling real life. In the building a biter could be seen walking at a much quicker pace. Artemis let her bag fall to one shoulder, ready to swing at a moment’s notice. She counted ten give or take a couple. It was the most they had taken on just the two of them. If they lived it would be a miracle. 

 She looked to Wally for the signal, who gave a curt nod. She took aim for the closest one. 

* * *

When they finally reached the car, Artemis nearly collapsed. She was tired. Her feet hurt. There was a new coating of blood on her shirt. Wally lit a small fire near the river, presumably to start their dinner, but he didn’t get anything out. He just stared into the flames. A low rumble sounded somewhere off in the distance. The rain was catching up to them. She touched her hair and felt the greasy locks. The Ohio River was calling to her, and she couldn’t refuse. 

“River. Now.”

“What?” He seemed to snap out of his trance as she walked by. 

“We’re covered in blood, and I don’t remember the last time I was clean.” Sh stood on the banks and dropped her bag. Wally stood beside her as she started removing layers. “Turn around.”

“What are you-”

“I’m getting naked. I’m going to get clean. You are welcome to join me, but you are not,” She turned him to face away from her, “watching me undress.”

He sighed, but remained facing the other way. “Not like I haven’t seen you naked before.”

“Not in the last ten years.” She peeled away what felt like years of dirt. In reality it was only weeks. Maybe a couple months, but no more than two. Her clothes landed in a pile beside her, and she tentatively put a toe into the water. The water was colder than expected, but a welcome feeling. She walked out a few feet then submerged herself.

Immediately goose prickles emerged all over her skin. She was weightless in the water, physically and mentally. If it were possible, she’d stay under forever, like a fish or a mermaid. The mermaid gene would have been so much cooler. Though sure enough her lungs began to burn for air. She surfaced and heard the splashing of Wally joining her in the water.  The thunder rolled ever closer.

“Shit it is cold!” 

“It’s nice.”

“That’s a word for it.” He dunked himself under, and immediately resurfaced scratching the muck and blood from his hair. The mess of his face was already rinsing off. Artemis ran a hand through her knotted hair, though it hardly helped. She longed for a brush. “So.”

“So,” she replied. “Made any progress on how you’re going to save me yet?”

“It’s a very difficult process.” Artemis rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t make that face.”

“What face?” She couldn’t be sure, but she was fairly confident that she had felt a rain drop.

“That face you make when you think I’m being ridiculous.” He gestured vaguely to his head. “With the scowling and the sighing.”

“I’m not making that face.” She was making that face. The fire on the shore was too dim to reveal her face this late, but there was no fooling him. She waded closer to him. “And that sounds like a resounding...no” That time, she definitely felt rain.

“It’s not no. It’s depending on the lab, and what they have there.”

“Wally, I know you’ve read every Chemistry book known to man, but that’s nothing like practicing medicine.” The thunder was nearly on top of them, and the rain fell more steadily. 

“But if I could talk to them...”He sighed. “I’m very persuasive.”

“Stubborn’s more like it.” Thunder clapped right above them, and Artemis was suddenly aware of how close they had gotten. The downpour came out of nowhere. It didn’t seem too bad until the lightning lit up sky. She got a quick glance of Wally before heading back towards the shore. Her clothes were soaked, but she threw them on save for her jeans which didn’t want to cooperate. As soon as her shoes were on, lightning signaled for them to head for the jeep.

They piled into the backseat one after the other. Artemis snatched up the old towel she had been using as a pillow to wrap around her shoulders. Wally threw their bags in the front. She watched him as he reclined against the back of the driver’s seat. His shirt was soaked and nearly see-through, but he had at least managed to get his pants on. She laughed.

She laughed at the rain, and at his shirt. She laughed at her underwear and the terrible job she did shaving him. Her head fell back and she laughed at the idea of getting to California and not dying. But most of all she laughed at everything that was telling her not to kiss him.

Wally seemed to meet her half way, and she didn’t let their lips part for a moment. Her arms wrapped around his neck as if they had done this a million times. He was both cold and warm at the same time, and she pressed herself against him to feel more warmth. She had no idea what she was doing, yet it didn’t matter because he didn’t either. But somehow everything he did was right. His fingers went through her hair without catching, and his other hand pressed her closer, as if that were possible.

That kiss when they were nine was nothing. 

She paused to catch her breath before going back for more, kissing him briefly on the lips before moving to his chin and to his neck. She shivered and he stiffened. Artemis pulled back. She had moved into his lap, straddling him against the driver’s seat. In her underwear. She quickly dismounted and moved towards the back. Wally opened the door and adjusted himself.

“I gotta...um...Yeah...I’ll be right back.”

Artemis covered her eyes. She could sigh for days, but the door opened just a minute later. What was she even supposed to say?

“I-”

“Save it, girl. We’ll have plenty of time to talk back at the camp.” Artemis moved her hands to see a man’s face that looked way too much like her own.

* * *

_**I had planned on the kissy face happening out in like...Utah or something, definitely not this early, but you know what. It felt right. And everyone's been so patient. You deserve kissy face, my friends.**_


	8. Camp

Barry watched each person carefully as they stood outside the lab. Iris and Mary looked on through the window, and Rudy was silent. Inside the next room, two children sat on opposites of the room. Artemis kicked her legs as she sat on a table. Her eyes drifted around the room in a way that was much too calculating for a seven year old. What Barry was really concerned with was Wally.

Wally arms were crossed in the corner of the room and scowling harder than ever. His eyes glanced over to Barry’s momentarily before returning to Artemis. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think Wally was actually trying to set her on fire.

"What about a quarantine camp?"

"We are quarantined," he replied. Iris nervously bit the tip of her thumb nail.

Were quarantined. Were. Up until about five minutes ago.

"That’s", he sighed, "That’s not how it works. It’s not airborne, or else we’d all be infected. She," Barry gestured to the window, "is no more contagious than any of us already are."

"How can you be sure?" Rudy asked, and Mary turned from the window.

"That’s your nephew…my son in there."

"And so far he’s fine. He honestly stands more of a chance of getting a black eye than the infection." No one seemed comforted by that, and Iris audibly sighed. "Ok, maybe that’s not what everyone wanted to hear." He moved towards the window, knocking before putting his finger on the intercom button. "Wally, you could stand to move a couple feet closer."

"No way."

"She’s not going to bite you; I promise."

"There’s no way you know that!"

"Why would I want to bite a scrawny jerk like you, anyways?" Artemis asked. Her legs kicked the air with more force.

Wally stepped forward, trying his best to be intimidating. "Hey! I’m not scrawny!"

"Yeah, but you’re a jerk."

"Am not!"

"Oh yeah? Prove it!"

"Make me!"

Barry felt three pairs of eyes on his back as he watched the two pitch school yard threats at each other. He turned around. Iris was trying not to laugh. Mary’s deadpan stare tore through him. And Rudy….Rudy was increasingly hard to read throughout the whole situation.

"See? They’re completely fine."

* * *

Wally’s head lay in Artemis’s lap as the two sat in the back of the dark, damp van. In his left hand, he held the bruised right arm, broken in multiple places. He had passed out not long before, no doubt with help from the woman who was now in the front passenger seat. She had roughed him up before throwing him in the back of the van. Together, the two strangers had taken their guns, supplies, everything before locking them in the back. At least now she had her pants.

Every bump of the old car sent a jolt straight through his arm. Artemis let her hands rest in Wally’s wet hair, careful not to accidentally hurt him. It was too dark to see, and every time she closed her eyes, she only saw her own eyes starting back at her. Only they weren’t her eyes, exactly. They were the man’s eyes, but also her hair and cheekbones. 

The car shook and her lids drifted open again. Up front, the voices of the other two wafted in, barely audible over the motor and rain. They were arguing, but Artemis couldn’t tell what over. For all she knew, they were lost, heading nowhere to be murdered. Of all the ways she figured she’d die, murder was not on the list. It reminded her of one of the movies she and Wally watched as a kid. What was the line?

"The horse is a surprise," she mumbled.

It was hard to tell how time was passing. There were no windows in the back, and no sign of light peaking through. An hour had to have passed. Artemis carefully stretched her legs out, allowing the feeling to return to her feet. In her lap, Wally remained motionless. When they slept in the back of the Jeep, he talked in his sleep, but never anything intelligible. At one time, the idea of a quiet night had been welcome to her, but now that she had it…It just wasn’t right. Everything was so wrong. Where did it all go so horribly wrong?

Artemis jumped at the sound of the car door opening and the unfamiliar chatter of voices. How much time had passed? She must have fallen asleep somehow. There was a crick in her neck, and her legs felt numb under Wally's weight. Outside the van was still dark, with the faintest hints of dawn on the horizon. 

"Wake up, Alice. Come back from Dreamland,” the woman called to her. Behind was a camp of no more than 5 tents surrounding a fire. 

“Alice was in Wonderland, not Dreamland.”

“Damn, you got me. Get out of the car.” This was the first time Artemis had gotten a good look at the woman. Dirt and grime covered her head to toe, but she was unmistakably tan with masses of black hair sticking out of an old baseball cap. Her eyes were dark, like most people these days, but it was her size that was most intimidating. She was petite, no taller than Artemis, but she commanded authority as if she were as large as the man with her. 

Wally stirred, and Artemis shook his shoulder. He stretched his arms out from their cramped position, only to immediately retract them.

“Ho-oly what the hell?!” He hadn’t swollen up too much, only a little towards the center. It was the slight bend his arm took that worried her. He clutched his arm to his chest again as Artemis helped him up.

“Your arm’s broken. Was that necessary, by the way?” she asked the woman.

She shrugged, leaning on the open door. “We may never know. Now about you getting out of the car...”

The welcome to the camp was hardly a warm one. A shaggy group appeared from various tents when the man barked orders. Clear space, find room, set traps. He was clearly in charge, and something about it almost reminded her of Bruce.

Bruce.

Oh, if only he could see them now. He would kill them himself. Although it wasn’t really her fault. They did everything he told them to do.

The group was primarily men save for the small angry woman. Most of them were older, somewhere between the woman’s age and the man yelling directions. A pair of near identical men stood towards the back. The slight age differences were the only things that gave them away as father and son. The younger one smirked at smirked at her as though it were some friendly gesture. Artemis spat on the ground and continued walking.

Keeping her sleeves down, Artemis prayed no one would see her scars. The last thing they needed was a panic. Between Wally’s arm and no way to defend herself, they would only find themselves worse off. Two men escorted them into one of the far tents, and set to binding them up. Artemis had her hands put behind her in a tight knot. Too tight to slip, and there was no way she’d figure out how to untie it. Beside her Wally was protesting, cursing furiously as his broken arm was forced behind him. 

Artemis had seen Wally in pain before. He fell down the stairs once when they were about eight or nine, and he’d burned himself more than a handful of times in the lab. Each time he had worn a brave face. It was always nothing. Everything was fine. But this? His face was twisted and scrunched into a horrible mess. His right side was just visible to her, and it was not pretty. He needed a splint, and some painkillers. And maybe a fifth of the whiskey they’d sneak out of the rations room back home.

The two finished tying them off, careful to make sure there was nothing either she or Wally could reach. And just as quickly as they were brought into the camp, they were alone. 

* * *

Lawrence threw Artemis and Wally’s bags at one of the campers. «Look through it for anything useful. And take stock of their ammo.» He entered the center tent where Jade was already waiting for him. It was more makeshift than an actual tent. A couple poles and a tarp fastened the roof over their heads. The walls were thrown together in haste, some plastic siding, others more tarp. But it kept them dry with more than enough room for the two of them to sleep and eat. «These had better be the damn kids from the facility.»

"Of course they are. Who else would they be?" Jade was picking the dirt from her nails.

"Two runaways. Doesn’t the bat have a pair of kids now working with him? How do we know those aren't them?" He sat down and propped his feet up onto a box. The drive to their camp wasn’t especially long, but his legs needed the stretch.

"So what? We ask them what they know and tell them to beat it."

"So, we have an impatient buyer who’s looking to make a vaccine. The longer we don’t have the kid, the more quickly someone else could find ’em. That puts me out one very large sum of cash."

"And I told you I took care of anyone I saw snooping around Blüdhaven. Now will you stop treating me like I’ve never delivered on a deal before?"

Lawrence could tell Jade was getting agitated. She lost the trail in Blüdhaven. Much to her chagrin, he had refused to let her work alone. It had been a pure fluke they had caught the trail when they did. Camps and towns all the way from Charleston to Lexington had reports of stolen supplies and dead livestock. The loss was never too devastating, only enough to feed a person or two. It was a big chance following them through Kentucky, but in the end it paid off, or at least Lawrence hoped it would.

"So are we just going to sit on this or what? Weren’t you just worried we didn’t have the right kids?" Jade asked. She had moved to the only other chair in the tent. There was a knife in her hand now, but she still picked at her nails. 

"I’ll send the kid in for lunch. Until then, give them a bit. It’s been a long night after all." She sighed and Lawrence rolled his eyes.

* * *

Artemis didn’t know what to make of being left alone for the first half of the day. Slowly sunlight creeped into their tent through small holes in the ceiling. Beside her, Wally was trying to stay awake, for what she didn’t know. There wasn’t much to do. They had no food, no water, and no feasible ways to escape.

Neither had spoken since they were tied up either. And what was there to bring up anyways? There was nothing that wouldn’t have lead to an argument. They bickered like an old married couple, and had for as long as they could remember. Barry said it was the foundation of their friendship. 

The friendship that she had stomped all over when she grabbed his face just hours prior. 

She groaned, yanking at the knot on her wrists. Kissing her best friend in the rain. What a cliché. Not that it wasn’t enjoyable. It was very enjoyable, and something she’d like to do again before she died. But what awful timing! They should have been more alert, or on their way to shelter for a better camp. Shit, locking the damn doors would have been a great start! There was no doubt in her mind that this would definitely not have happened with Barry.

Wally’s feet were digging at the ground when she glanced over to him. His legs were clearly getting restless though. Wally needed constant stretching breaks on the drive, always using the growing boy excuse. He didn’t move his torso much. Probably trying not to strain his arm. She had been keeping an eye on his arm the whole time, half convinced it would changed shape or fall off when she wasn’t looking. It was fine, though. As fine as it could be. Hardly any swelling anymore, just bent out of shape.

"I can see you starting." His voice was tired. He was tired. "Please don’t tell me you’ve finally given in to your zombie hunger."

"Har har," she said. "Still funny after ten years." She hadn’t realized just how dry her throat was. It had to be going on lunch time by now. Her stomach suddenly felt very empty. "Nope. Just my regular human hunger, I’m afraid." And almost as if on queue, her stomach growled.

"Uuuugh, no. I’ve been trying not to think about how hungry I am fort he last two hours." Wally’s feet shook in a mild, little tantrum. 

"Just concentrate on your arm."

"I actually managed to get it in a position where it doesn’t feel like I smashed it on a rock. The only problem is I’ve lost the feeling in my left hand." He turned his head to meet her gaze. "When we get back, I’m going to have a long talk with Bruce about hostage preparedness."

"You still think we’re going to make it back?"

"One of us has to look on the bright side. It’s very clearly not you."

"I repeat: Har har." She studied his face, trying to take in some of the optimism. "I missed a spot. On your chin."

His face reddened. "About that," he started.

The tent flaps opened before he could really start. Artemis recognized him as the younger of the two identical men she saw earlier. Up close, he was couldn’t have been much older than them, a few years at the most. His features were sharp, and his face was hardened far too much for someone so young. The man held two plastic bowls in hand. Under his arm was a bottle of water, but there was no way to know how clean it really was. At the very least, it was’t brown. He looked down at the two, then the bowls, and sighed. He set the bowls down in front of each of them.

"I’m going to untie one arm each. Don’t try anything. You won’t make it five feet." His voice wasn’t especially threatening. He released Wally’s good arm, then Artemis’s right before moving back in front of them. "Well…bon appetite."

"What? No spoons?" Wally asked as he lifted the bowl.

"No, no, it’s fine really," Artemis responded quickly. She shot him a stern look as she lifted the bowl to her lips. It was a very plain broth with a few pieces of meat and way too much salt. Most likely the soup had come from a can. After a small sip, she swallowed. "Thank you."

"You’re welcome," the man said. "Most aren’t too happy to have a couple extra mouths to feed."

"Oh, we don’t eat much. Do we, Wally?"

"Speak for yourself," he shrugged and swallowed the better half of his broth.

"How many would you say are in the camp anyways?" Artemis tried her best to give him doe eyes over her bowl, and he possibly seemed to soften.

"Enough for me to be the one babysitting." He smirked at her. Bingo.

"We won’t be trouble," she said between sips. Forcing the last bit down, she handed the bowl up the man. When he leaned down to reach her, she licked her lips and smiled. Wally groaned beside her, a little too loudly, into his last gulp.

The man snatched the bowl from Wally’s hand, then went behind them to replace their hands. "We’ll see about that," he said as he exited the tent. A moment passed, and Wally laughed.

"What did I just witness?"

"Our ticket out of here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the briefest of edits because it is after 3a right now, and I just want this up in the world for you.


	9. Reuinion

They were left alone for hours. No water. No dinner. Just the damp ground and Wally’s occasional grunts. Sleep did not come easily. Artemis was able to doze for maybe an hour or so at a time, but it was hardly restful. She was certain Wally didn't sleep at all. 

“Any ideas?” he asked.

“Just the one.”

“That idea never works. Also I just don’t like it.”

“I told you I’m not actually going to sleep with him. He just needs to think he has a chance.”

“It never works.” Artemis stared out the flap in their tent though she couldn’t see much. The sun was beginning to set, and outside the men laughed and yelled at each other. The one who had brought them food earlier, the younger one, he hadn’t returned yet. “Besides,” his voice brought her back to the conversation, “how are we going to take down the whole came with just three arms?”

“I’ll think of something.” There was another minute of silence. “How’s your arm?”

“Same. Just kinda a dull roar of pain now.” He tried to sigh nonchalantly, but it only came out as a painful grunt.

“Think they’re going to kill us?”

“They followed us half way cross the country, and took us to the middle of nowhere. If they wanted us dead, they would have killed us in the Jeep.”

Artemis snorted. “To think, I could have died with no pants on.”

“That would have been pretty nice way to go.”  Wally laughed for a moment, a true laugh before taking a pained breath. “Oh, humor hurts me.”

“We shouldn’t have been so reckless.”

“Oh, that makes me feel much better about everything.”

“No, that’s not what I-“ She was tired. So tired, and sore, and hungry, but the last thing Artemis felt was regret. Had it not been for the kidnapping, it would have been an excellent kiss. Maybe even excellent more than kisses, but that was just fantasy. “I just meant we left all our supplies on the shore. We should have checked our surroundings or at least locked the car doors.”

Wally didn’t say much after that. And no one brought them dinner or water. He would hold his hanger over her until his next meal, whenever that would be. Artemis willed the gods to send them someone with something to eat. Anything to eat. Even more of the lukewarm soup that had earlier. Anything to get Wally to talk to her again.

* * *

 Artemis awoke sometime the next day to the feeling of hands on hers. A rush of blood went circulating through her fingers that she hadn't realized she needed. Her mouth was dry, and no words came. As she wiggled her fingers around, the figure behind her stood revealing the boy from yesterday. He gave her a bottle of water and stood.

“Breaking me out?” she asked. The water was warm, but it was clean. She missed clean water.

“Not quite. There’s someone who wants a word with you.”

“I see.” Her brows furrowed as she walked over Wally. She gently kicked his legs before crouching back down. “Rise and shine.” He didn’t stir. How did he manage to sleep so well in the worst conditions? Artemis poured a small amount of water out on his head, only to realize her mistake when he jerked awake. Pain shot through his now awake features. “Oh my god, Wally, I’m so sorry! What was I thinking?”

“That’s an excellent question. What were you thinking?” His voice was half groggy, half in pain.

“I was just trying to wake you up to get some water! Are you alright? Of course you’re not. Are you…I don't know…functioning?” She brushed the hair out of his eyes, and his face seemed to soften. She smiled. “Would you like some water?”

“That depends on whether or not you’re going to hurt me again.”

The boy behind her cleared his through in an effort to hurry them along, and Artemis rolled her eyes. She tilted the water bottle for Wally to drink from, careful not to over pour. He winked and she stood up, tossing the now empty bottle back to their captor.

“Take me to your leader.”

The boy lead her by the arm through the camp. Men sat about outside their tents, some eating, some cleaning weapons, one relieving himself near a bush. It was hard to tell exactly what time it was, though it had to be mid morning.

Artemis made careful notes about the camp. Most of the men had to share tents, and most of them looked at her like she was a piece of meat. She was being lead to the center-most tent, but just behind it she could make out one last smaller tent. There was no “door” or flaps to cover the front, and she could just make out a few stacks of crates and boxes. Supples.

The tent flap was lifted for her, and Artemis headed into the main tent. Sitting at a table in the very center were the man and woman from yesterday. He sat upright with his arms across his chest, and her legs her propped up on the table. The woman’s eyes lit up, and Artemis watched a cat-like grin form across her face.

“You know, now that I see you two this close…it’s uncanny,” the woman said between sips of water. “Seriously, you had no idea?”

Artemis sat on the crate opposite the man and woman, studying their faces. Their very familiar faces. They were clearly related, though the similarities were subtle. She had his nose, and they both had moles just above their left eyebrows. It was what Artemis saw of herself in them that really surprised her.

The woman had the same shape eyes, down to the wrinkles and creases around them. Her cheeks had the same height to them, slimming her face in a delicate way. They could almost be twins were it not for the hair. Artemis’s hair and eye color were the exact same as the man before her. His scowl was one she was all too familiar with. She was looking at two halves of her whole.

“Who are you?”

“Show me your arms,” the man said.

“Oh come on. This is could be a really emotional moment.” The woman gave Artemis a toothy grin. “I, for one, love reunions.”

“Your arms. Now.”

Artemis held her forearms up in front of her, though her jack sleeves remained at her wrists.

“Sleeves,” he barked. Artemis pushed them up and returned her hands to the air careful to keep the backs of her hands facing them. She sighed as the man made a twirling gesture. Slowly her palms faced the two revealing the patches of dry, red skin she had been avoiding for weeks. The veins under her skin were dark near her hands, and the skin seemed more pox-like than it had been. It was honestly hard to tell, though. She never monitored it. The woman gave a low whistle, and Artemis dropped her hands.

“Bingo.”

“You were born like that?” the man asked.

“That’s what they say. Who are you?”

“An interested buyer.”

“I’m not for sale. Who are you to me?”

“The answer’s the same, girly. You’re just-“

“No,” Artemis interrupted him before she could stop. “We have the same face. You look just like me. Both of you.”

“Technically you look like me; I was born first,” the woman interjected, but neither Artemis nor the man found it amusing. “Fine. Why don’t you tell her, _dad_?”

He sighed and rubbed his temples. “Tell me what you know about the woman who birthed you.”

“You mean my mother?” Artemis shrugged. “No much. Just her name, Paula, and that she was Asian. Well, I inferred that last part from…” She waved vaguely at her face before letting her hands fall back to her side. Her fingers anxiously picked at the crate she sat on.

“She was bitten while she was carrying you. Bite on the back of the leg injured some muscle. It was too much strain on the group. I left her in good hands.”

“You…left her?” The room was spinning. If he left her, that could only mean…

“She was in no condition to travel.”

“How…” Artemis struggled for a full breath of air. “You’re telling me…” She took one last inhale. “Are we? Are you my father?”

“Sperm donor’s more like it,” the woman didn't look up from her fingernails.

“The needs of the many outweighed bringing a sick child into the world.”

“You left her for dead,” she said. Her fingers picked at a nail in the wood. “And I’m not sick. I’ve outlived every person who’s been bitten. Because of her.”

“We could sit here and talk about what a terrible person I am all damn day. Most people do. Doesn’t change shit.” The man spit. His anger made him seem to double in size. “But you’re right. You sure as hell aint sick.”

“So you’re just going to take me, your daughter that you’ve just discovered, to be sold for science? Not that I want to get to know you. You can rot in hell for all I care. But you’re seriously selling your own daughter off?”

“You’re going to be saving millions.”

“You’re going to be making millions.”

“An undetermined amount in the name of science. And my late wife.”

“And you just expect me to go quietly? Hand myself over to-“

“They call themselves The Light,” the woman, her sister. “They’re going to start a new golden age, or so they say.”

“You sound like a church. Real saints.” He smirked.

“You’ll come with us because its what your mother would have wanted, and because if you don’t, that little ginger kid is going to have many more broken bones. Maybe a few missing.”

She should have seen this coming. Of course Wally was the bargaining piece. Why else would they need both of them? Why wouldn’t that be her luck? Artemis was certain they could see the wheels in her head turning. Trying to figure some way out of this. He only smirked, and she felt her shoulders droop.

“What do you want, exactly?”

“When the time comes, if you don't put up a fight, we wont have to put one up. It’s all very simple. In return, he lives.”

“I want him to come with me. Insurance that I don’t act out.” There was no telling what they would do to him once she was gone. Leave him for dead more than likely. It seemed to be his speciality. Her father considered  for a moment before giving her a silent nod. “And I want his arm fixed. A splint, painkillers, everything. Or I start biting people. See how contagious I really am.” It was a tall order, keeping him alive and in good health, but the man gave another approving nod. For the first time since she entered the tent, Artemis felt almost relieved.

“So much as one lick of trouble, and he’s gone.” this time Artemis gave a kurt nod before holding out her right hand to shake. He gave her a firm shake and firm look.

“I’d like to go back to my tent now.”

“That can certainly be arranged.” The same boy who fetched her earlier came in through the tent, ready to return her. Artemis stood and exited the tent. She watched him grab a small box from the corner before following her out.

Wally looked up at them as they entered the tent. “Please tell me thats a first aid kit. Or something to put me out of my misery.”

“It’s a first aid kit,” he said. He placed the box on the ground in front of Wally.

“Wait, really?” Wally looked between Artemis and the other boy. “Then I really hope we’re going home safe and sound tomorrow.”

“Not a chance.”

“It was worth a shot.” Wally winced as his arms were released. His right arm was still swollen, worse than it had been before they were tied up. Beneath the swelling, there was a slight unnatural bend to it. His left arm tenderly rubbed his shoulder. His arm needed reset, badly. The other boy pulled a small wad of gauze and some cloth from the box, and continued to look around. “You’ll need something to make a splint. And Tylenol. Or Something.” Wally added. He looked up to Artemis. “I um…This is going to hurt, so could you hold my shoulders?”

“You’re not serious.” She looked down at him. “You really want to reset it?”

“It’s not going to heal properly if I don’t.”

“It might only make things worse.” Pointing to the boy she said, “You trust him with your arm? No offense.”

“Offense taken.” He closed the box, and placed all the supplies on top of it. “My name’s Cameron, by the way, in case either of you care.”

“We don’t.” Artemis’s eyes never left Wally’s. “You’re sure about this?”

“Absolutely not. Let’s do it.”

She sighed. Artemis sat down behind Wally and wrapped her left arm around his chest. Her right arm looped under his shoulder to keep him in place. Her face rested beside his, chin atop shoulder. She looked at Cameron. “Don’t fuck this up.”

Cameron braced himself against Wally’s knees and grabbed on to his wrist with both hands. Artemis felt Wally’s left hand on her own. He exhaled, and Cameron pulled.

“Aargh!” There was a small popping sound and Wally yelled. Artemis held tight around his mid section as he doubled over. Cameron dropped the arm and reached for a small white bottle on the box. His arm was still swollen, but looked to have stopped bending. “Oh how does it hurt so much, but also feel better?” Cameron handed him two blue pills and a bottle of water.

Artemis took the supplies off the box and quickly wrapped the arm in a makeshift splint. She looked down at the scissors in her hand. Sharp scissors that Cameron was letting her use. Getting up, she feigned returning the objects, watching him as he handed the water to Wally once more. Quickly she hid the scissors in the back of her jeans, and prayed she didn’t accidentally cut herself. One of them coughed, and she turned her attention back to them.

Cameron was already hard at work tying Wally up, this time his two hands in his front then tethered to the pole. Artemis sat back at her own stick and waited for them to finish. She squirmed around, careful not to sit directly on the scissors. They needed to be an angle where she could get access to them later that night. The handle peaked out the top of her jeans, but her shirt tail covered it just so. Cameron was none the wiser as he bound her hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternative Title: "Fun with Pronouns"
> 
> Thanks to everyone who didnt hate me when I never updated.


	10. Kansas

Artemis started coughing before Cameron had even opened the tent flap. Her throat was dry despite the humidity in the tent, and her inhales shallow. She kept her head resting as comfortably as she could on one shoulder. When he finally shuffled through the opening, Cameron looked between the two on the ground. Artemis felt a cool breeze of the night air.

 

“What’s wrong with her?”

 

“She’s been coughing since early this morning,” Wally replied. Though she couldn’t see him, she heard the concern in his voice. She let out a pained wheeze. “She drank all her water this morning. I don’t really know what’s wrong with her.”

 

Artemis watched as Cameron’s feet took a step back. “Is it from her….you know…”

 

“Her infection? I don’t know. I think I remember reading that asthma was an onset symptom, but…” A sigh. “It’s been almost eighteen years, that can’t be it.”

 

She stared blankly at the ground, listening but not reacting. Another wheeze burned out her lungs.

 

“Are you going to stand there, or are you going to give her the water?”

 

“And what, let her bite me? No way?”

 

“Her hands are tied, and she’s spent the last two days in this tent with hardly anything to eat or drink. She’s probably just dehydrated. Just…please. Give her the water.”

 

Artemis listened as set his lantern down. The plastic cap was twisted off the bottle, and Cameron crouched before her. Slowly, she lifter her head.

 

Her arms snapped to his shoulder, sending the two of them crashing onto the ground behind Cameron. One arm held his throat in place as the other reached to the back of her jeans. She pulled the scissors out and flipped them open in one fluid motion. She compared the blades choosing the sharper looking of the two to place along the side of his neck.

 

“This is your first hostage situation, isn’t it?” He swallowed and his features morphed from shock to defeat. She smiled. “Mine, too.”

 

Wally was already on his feet. Artemis gave him enough room to lift Cam without roughing him up too much. She returned the scissors to rest along his throat as Wally bound his arms.

 

“OK, so here’s what I need from you. I need you to be quiet. I need you to be helpful. I need you to be honest. Is anyone else awake?”

 

Cam’s face remained defeated. “Why would I bother helping you?”

 

Artemis rolled her eyes. One hand went to cover his mouth as the scissors swiped over his thigh. His cried was muffled, and she placed her weapon back on his neck.

 

“Because I’ll do that again only deeper, and in more vital areas. Believe me when I say I don’t want to stab you. This is not enjoyable for me, so please, let us leave undetected. No one has to get hurt.”

 

“Says you. After you leave I’ll get shot or worse for letting you slip away.”

 

“Then, Cameron, I have some good news for you. We’re going to take you with us.”

 

“You are?”

 

“We are?” Wally repositioned himself behind Artemis in an attempt to look threatening.

 

“Yes, we are. So I’m going to ask you one last time,” she diverted her attention back to Cameron, making sure to look straight in his eyes. “Is anyone else awake?”

* * *

 

Artemis shut the flap to the tent behind them once they had safely made it into storage. She kept the lantern at a low glow to illuminate the cramped space as she looked around. The lantern was an older kerosene lamp that she didn’t realize still existed. Outside the small flame did little to light their way, but inside let off a warm glow on their surroundings. There were crates of nonperishable food, stacks of bottled water, and small boxes and buckets of ammunition in every spare space around them. The back wall housed a small wire rack with guns of all shapes and sizes.

 

“We’ll need three bags then,” Wally said. “One for food, one for weapons, and one for general supplies.”

 

“Cam, where can we find bags?” Artemis peered into crates looking for anything that might be useful.

 

“I’m not really sure. Under the shelves maybe?”

 

“So glad we’re bringing you along.” Wally readjusted his arm to get a better grip on a squirming Cameron. “For the record, I wanted to leave you back in the tent.”

 

“Wally, play nice!”

 

She had started making little piles of things she knew they’d need - bandages, pliers, lightweight jackets. Under a blanket she found a backpack and a duffle. It would have to do. They couldn’t afford to spend much more time here without risking getting caught. Artemis dumped everything in the bags, not worrying too much about maximizing space. Everything they needed she made sure to get three of. She grabbed three random guns from the back praying she’d know how to use at least one of them. She put one, a small handgun, in the back of her jeans.

 

“It’s not that I think we’ll need this much ammo,” she said as she dumped every last bullet in their bags. “I just don’t really know how to tell it apart.” She snorted. “Also, I don’t want these guys to have it.”

 

The other two exchanged glances, but neither protested. As she shouldered the backpack, Artemis looped the duffle around Cameron’s neck.

 

“I’m trusting you with this. Mostly because Wally can’t carry it, but I’m trusting you, Ok?” Extra emphasis was placed on “trusting”. Cameron nodded. “Just one last thing before we leave.” Artemis opened the flap of the tent for them to leave before turning the flame of the lantern up as large as it would go. Making sure they were all out, she tossed the lantern in before turning towards the woods. She heard the glass shatter and started running.

 

They ran until they got too deep in the woods to see clearly. Between the darkness and Wally leading Cameron, it was all they could do to not trip over something. They slowed to a walk and continued on for a solid hour before stopping to rest.

 

Artemis’s eyes had finally adjusted to the night, and she could see the exhaustion on Cam and Wally’s faces. She braced herself against a tree for a quick breath.

 

“Let’s stop here for a minute,” she breathed. She set the backpack down and stretched her shoulders.

 

“So what next?” Wally asked. He still had his arms around Cameron, and the scissors at his throat reflected what little moonlight danced through the tree branches. “I honestly didn’t think that would work.”

 

“You can probably untie me now,” Cam sighed. Artemis looked between him and Wally debating her options. Both of them needed to trust her if they were going to make this work. She sighed.

 

“Alright yeah, we could probably do that.” She stepped forward towards them, but Wally backed up.

 

“Are you sure about this? I don’t exactly trust him yet.”

 

“Then trust me.” Artemis took another step forward and removed the duffle from Cameron’s neck. Looking to Wally, she met his eyes. “Well?” She heard him sigh as he loosened the ropes from Cam’s wrists. When he was done he stepped away.

 

“Thank you.” Rubbing his wrists, Cameron stepped towards Artemis to make more space between himself and Wally. “Now before we get moving again I’d like t-“

 

The butt of Artemis’s gun whipped across his forehead, effectively cutting him off. Wally caught him and laid him gently on the ground. Cameron didn’t stir, but his breathing remained slow and constant. Shouldering the duffle off the ground, he came to stand by Artemis.

 

“You’re really hot in a hostage situation, you know that?

* * *

 

They walked until Artemis was sure her feet were bleeding. She was exhausted emotionally, physically, and any other way she could be. The sky was slowly beginning to lighten though they still couldn’t see the sun. Never in her life did she imagine that she could walk that long. There was no knowing the distance, or their location. All around them was deep dark wood. Artemis paused against a tree and willed her lungs to take in more oxygen.

 

Wally watched her. He was always watching her, making sure she was ok. It had been annoying at first, but she was staring to realize it was only because she was always watching him, too. A natural occurrence of only having each other.

 

“We need shelter,” he said. He reached into the bag on his back for a bottle of water. He took a quick sip before passing the bottle over to her.

 

Artemis stowed the water in her own pack, and looked around the woods. Nothing. No conveniently abandoned houses or directions to a hotel. Turning slightly she headed in a new direction. She had no idea where she was going, but it felt like north.

 

The last thing she wanted to do was keep walking. She fought back exhausted tears as they moved on. There had to be something out there.

 

They walked for what felt like another few hours. Despite the rising sun, there was a definitive nip in the air. They were walking right into colder weather wearing little more than flannel. The sweat on her skin was cooling her down too quickly at this rate. Artemis kept her arms crossed over her chest in an effort to fight off chills, willing all her energy into looking for some place, any place to rest. Their prayers were answered in the form of a small cave, though it wasn’t too deep. Artemis was willing to take her chances against whatever was living in there after the last few days.

 

Their new camp was less than perfect. One of them had been smart enough to grab a lighter, allowing them to build a small fire at the cave’s opening. Artemis found an emergency blanket in her first aid kit and quickly bundled up

 

Artemis sat next to Wally letting all her weight fall on his good shoulder. She let out a shuddering breath, and his arm went instinctively around her. They watched the small flames, and for a moment they weren’t lost somewhere in the Midwest. They were home in the little garden outside the facility. They were sneaking out of her lab to watch the sunrise like they would when they were young and bored. They were ok.

 

Wally’s lips pressed against the top of her head, and Artemis closed her eyes.

 

“Well, this certainly isn’t how I had planned on our first date going.”

 

She felt the smile going on her face. “Oh, do tell. How was our first date supposed to go?”

 

“Well,” he started, “I would politely ask my mom to make us dinner, because you deserve better than the cafeteria food. Then I would whisk us away someplace private, probably just outside because no one else goes outside, and we would do something romantic like watch the stars or something.” He paused. “And then I’d get to like…second base or something I don’t know.”

 

Artemis smirked. “How much of that did you just make up?”

 

“Like, all of it.” He was talking into her hair, and his breath warmed her scalp. “Really I figured I’d just come in your room one day, tell you I liked you and to deal with it. Probably never talk to you again.” Wally adjusted the blanket around their shoulders, making sure Artemis was fully covered. She could feel the tension in his voice from speaking his feelings. He changed the subject. “What did they want back at that camp? When they took you to the big tent?”

 

“Oh, right! I never told you about that!” Artemis straightened, letting the blanket fall off her much to Wally’s dismay. “So you remember how all this started when there was a raid back home? Barry was freaking out?” Wally nodded for her to continue. “So these guys, The Light they call themselves, is looking to make an antidote out of me, too. Only they want to make it some sort of…” Her hands gestured in the air. “…post-apocalyptic capitalist venture or something, I don’t know. Something stupid. But here’s the kicker. That big scary guy and the woman with him? That’s my dad, and my sister.”

 

Artemis watched Wally’s face for some sort of reaction. For a moment, when he hadn’t moved, she assumed he hadn’t heard her.

 

Then it hit him.

 

“What?”

 

“Yeah. My long-lost family, that we had all assumed died after abandoning my mother, is alive and kicking, and they want to sell me for spare parts.”

 

He was a silent for another moment. “Your sister broke my arm.”

 

“Oh, don’t worry. She also threatened to kill you. As did my dad. Who did not seem too concerned with the fact that I was alive.” She paused. “Or in front of him.”

 

“Huh.”

 

“Yeah.” She readjusted under the weight of her exhaustion, or perhaps it was the weight of the world. It was hard to tell. He head went to Wally’s lap, and his hands instinctively nestled in her hair. The dancing flames before her started to blend together. “I wish we had stayed home.”

 

“I know.”

* * *

Hours of walking turned into days. Eventually they came upon a road, a real road. Each car dead along the highway was a haven. One broken down Camry had a jacket left inside. An old smart car had matches. They slept in a Tahoe on one particularly cold evening. None of them started.

           

There were hardly any Infected as the walked down the road. The further they went (west they had determined from the road signs) the fewer there were. The landscape turned hilly and low rising mountains loomed in the distance. It had been two days since they passed a sign welcoming them to Kansas.

 

Fucking Kansas with its dead cornfields and nothingness all around. There had been one city, if you could call it that, and not even the Infected wanted to hang around. There had been one that Artemis shot out of spite, and immediately felt guilty about wasting the bullet over.

 

One of the guns they had brought was a long rifle type, similar to the one Bruce had lent her back in Bludhaven. It felt like a lifetime ago that she and Wally had literally stumbled upon Bruce, Dick, and Barbara.  A long, exhausted sigh escaped her lips before she could even stop it. Without a word, Wally held her hand as they walked.

 

The next town was no more impressive than the last one they had seen. Picturesque, it must have been nice in its day. Among the buildings that still stood, a bank, a few gas stations, and a hospital, it was all but abandoned. Wally veered them off the main road in an effort to keep them safe from Infected and traps.

 

It was hard to tell which cities were safe outside the larger ones. Places like Gotham, New York and Boston had all sealed themselves up. National Security patrolled fences and enforced strict curfews in an attempt to maintain order in a chaotic time. As for the smaller towns, they were left to fend for themselves. Some fell to ashes while others became hideouts for paranoid survivors like The Light.

 

Roads quickly twisted and turned out of the downtown area into what seemed like more endless fields, and the night was quickly catching up to them.

 

“Art. Art.” Wally nudged Artemis out of her daydream. “How about there?”

 

He was pointing to a nearby farmhouse. The place appeared abandoned, but then again most places did these days. It was seemingly empty save for the two horses in their stalls towards the back of the barn.

 

Artemis had never seen a horse before. She hadn’t seen much of anything outside of dogs and squirrels. Step by step she approached them, keeping her hand outstretched to them. Their large eyes stayed on her, and she had no idea if they trusted her, or if what she was doing was helping. Behind her, Wally set his bag down on a bale of hay.

 

“They seem like they're well taken care of.” The horse was let her stroke its nose, perhaps thankful for the affection. “So, there’s probably someone living in that house.”

 

“Probably.” Wally had joined his bag on the hay, the closest thing he had had to a bed since the Jeep. She watched him, his eyes closed, finally allowing himself to stretch. His right arm was still in the sling from the camp. He resembled something close to peaceful.

 

She left the horse and looked around in the darkness. If there was anyone living in the house nearby, she didn’t want to alert them with any light. She found what she was hoping for – a large bale of hay, loose, soft, and dry. Tugging on his good arm, she moved Wally to lay down in the hay.

 

He jerked up when he heard Artemis dump the contents of her bag on the ground. There was no way he slept more than fifteen minutes. He tried to take in his surroundings, but with the sun having not yet risen, it was hard to tell the time. “What are you doing?”

 

“Trading.” Her voice was determined. He heard the tiny metal clinks of metal on metal. She was organizing the ammunition.

 

“Trading what exactly?”

 

“We’re taking the horses. I’m leaving the ammo we don't need. Seems fair.”

 

He thought about it for a moment. It did seem fair, although – “How do you know which ones we don’t need?”

 

“The big red ones-“

 

“Shot gun shells.”

 

“Whatever they are don’t fit any of our guns. We have roughly a million of them. We’ll make room, and be doing these guys a favor. Everybody wins.”

 

He couldn’t argue with her. There was no point to, anyways. He found saddles and bridles along the walls near the horses’ respective stables and did his best to attach them. By the time they were something close to secure it was beginning to lighten up outside. Morning. They needed to go if they were going to avoid getting caught. He turned to find Artemis furiously scribbling on to a scratch piece of cloth.

 

_We’re sorry. We had no choice. I hope you have a shotgun. We’re sorry._

They were back on the road before the sun had risen over the barn. Artemis set her horse into a quick trot down the road. Turning back Wally caught the name on the mailbox.

 

“Sorry, Kent family.”


	11. Denver

Cameron woke up to the sound of slow shuffling through the woods. The step-drag step-drag slowly grew louder behind him. He racked his brain for anything that could remember about the night before.  They had been running. She had been nice to him. Then darkness.

The step-dragging stopped, and Cameron took the time to collect himself.  Infected were rare in remote areas like this, but not unheard of. They weren’t too far away from the highway. This was just his luck.

Step-drag. Step-drag.

It started again. Cameron willed the world to stop. He froze as the creature rounded the left side of the tree.

Step-drag. Step-drag.

The shuffling was starting the match the pounding in the back of his head.  If he got out of this in once piece, it would be a miracle. He would make them live to regret it.

Step-drag. Step-drag.

He swung the stick in his hand before he could react. There was no way to tell who the poor bastard had been. Mushroom like scales had taken over the face, and it clicked and screeched in place of human screaming. Though he knew it wasn’t possible, Cameron pretended each swing was connecting to his head, the smug red head with the wise mouth. He swung again, and this time it was the girl. And she begged. He swung until he felt its warm blood on his face and the clicking had stopped.

He stood, once again regaining control over his breathing, and walked away.

* * *

Her whole body shivered in the cold air. It was moving into winter. Snow couldn’t be far behind them. Back home, she loved the snow. The world was quiet. She would stand in gardens and listen until the frostbite drove her inside. Back then, however, she had a warm bed waiting for her, and a coat. She buttoned one more button on her flannel, convinced it would guard against the cold. She didn’t want to zip her jacket up, not yet. Each day is was one more subtle change to keep warm. And each morning there was a little more frost on the ground.

The nights were worse. Once again, the problem came from finding a place to sleep. The horses more or less gave them away whenever they stopped. Then again, that was assuming anyone was around. It had a been about a week since they had left Cameron in the woods, and there was no sign of anyone following them, though they were careful to avoid most of the main roads.

Wally chatted. There was no other word for it. There was nothing deep or emotional about it, and Artemis was glad. Every so often he simply rattled off facts or made attempts at playing I Spy. Mostly she just laughed and rolled her eyes.

“Remember that time I liked you, and we were getting along? I take it back. You’re annoying again.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t be cliché.”

“Then maybe talk about something other than the symptoms of hypothermia. That’s not how people politely talk about the weather.”

“Ok…Remember when we met?”

“And you dare to call me cliché.”

“We got into a fist fight.”

“That I won.”

“And my mother defended you.”

“Probably because I was the clear winner.”

“’Wallace! You do not hit friends.’” He was mocking his mother’s soft yet stern voice. He continued the story, going into something about how he spent a week hating her making them be friends, but she stopped listening. Distracted. The large plume of smoke in the distance caught her attention. The dark clouds were stark against the grey-white sky. Wally brought his horse to stop next to hers.

“Do we agree that it’s probably a trap?”

Artemis was silent for a minute, weighing her options. It wasn’t too far off, they could easily reach it within a day. It’s what waited for them that concerned her. Her horse, which she had named Clyde, took a few steps in its direction.

“What’s the worst that could happen?”

“It’s you dad, and he kills us.”

“I’m too valuable.”

“Then he kills me.”

“You’re too valuable to me.” He half laughed behind her. “Did I slip back into clichés?” She turned to look at him with a smile. “Seriously. The worst that happens is that we die. I’m already heading straight for my death-“

“Don’t remind me.”

“-so what difference does it make when it happens?”

“You could at least construct I scenario where I live. Like just because you die, doesn’t mean I have to.” Artemis had already started trotting towards the smoke. He raised his voice despite his laugh. “Just because we kissed and sometimes I like to play with your hair does not mean I’m going to die for you!” She kept going forward.

It wasn’t the smell of the smoke they encountered first. It was the decay.

It was the largest amount of Infected Artemis had ever seen. They laid piled on one another, mostly carcasses of the former dead. Among them, she heard a few rasps and moans, signs they were all but truly dead. The pile smoked. Most of the bodies on the bottom had already charred, and the ones stacked on top continued to burn. She covered her mouth with her sleeve, half from the smoke, half from the smell.

“Costco,” Wally read the word off the building as if that explained the Infected burning before them.

“Somebody’s got to be around here then.” A branch broke somewhere behind them. She turned, and found herself, once again, looking down the barrel of a gun. Slowly, in an all too familiar way, they raised their hands. “You have got to be fucking kidding me.”

* * *

The inside of the building was more or less a giant warehouse repurposed into a small village. She couldn’t see everything, but it was easy to see it was all impeccably organized. It was, actually,

“Incredible,” Wally breathed.

It reminded her of Blüdhaven. Of Dick and Barbara. The whole place was lit up like Christmas. Most of the ceiling lights were destroyed, but in their place were thousands of string lights going every which way in every color. Lanterns hung over tables and marked pathways throughout the building. Tents and shelves lined every wall. Ramps and stairs lead to high shelves with cots, sitting areas, storage. In the center, were stands. People selling food, weapons, aide. It was an entire civilization within four tiny walls.

They were lead away from center and the excitement, down hallways lined with twinkling lights to a final room. What was once an office was now a suite covered in plants and curios. The woman, clearly in charge, sat behind a worn desk with gun in hand. When her eyes landed on Artemis and Wally, she visible relaxed.

“This is what I had to get imposing for?” She pointed with the rifle, and they both flinched. “Children?”

Artemis was still in awe from her surroundings. “Sorry we’re not raiders.”

“Let them go.” She put the gun on the table behind her and rubbed her temples. The men guarding them left, and Wally scooted closer to Artemis. She waved to the seats in front of them. “Sit.”

The woman retrieved three glasses from behind the desk along with a large bottle. The label was faded, but the smell was unmistakable. Whiskey. She placed one in front of Artemis, and waited. Her look was expectant.

“Oh, um. Artemis.”

“There we go,” she said, placing a second one in front of Wally, who introduced himself immediately. She smiled, and sat down, throwing her boots up on to the desk. “Ivy.” Artemis couldn’t tell if she was referring to the plant-life in the room or herself, but she nodded. Her glass was untouched.

“So,” Ivy took a sip, “Welcome to Denver.” Wally nodded as he looked around, equally impressed as Artemis was. “Either of you want to tell me why you’re here? On horseback nonetheless?”

“Headed West. Mom’s in Star City. We haven’t seen her in a few years.” Artemis tried her best to look sad. It wasn’t technically a lie. She hadn’t seen her mom in her eighteen years. Or ever.

Her face fell to mirror Artemis’s. “Oh, you poor dears!” She put her feet down to lean on the desk and get a closer look at them. “You two must think I’m a fucking idiot.” Artemis caught Wally’s eye in her peripherals. “Let’s not even get started on the fact that there’s no way you are related by blood. We’re three weeks out of winter, and you two are going into the mountains with little more than a flannel. You have no shelter, no supplies. There’s no way this trip was planned. So why not tell me what’s really going on.”

She was back to sitting with her legs up. Sipping. Waiting. Artemis turned to Wally, who was also looking at her. No. Not looking. Watching. She felt an all too familiar wave of exhaustion wash over her.

“Fine. Short version? We’re going to LA.”

“And the long version?”

Artemis felt her eyes roll. “We are going to Los Angeles.” She counted each word on a finger. “Bitch.”

Ivy looked as though she was going to choke on her whiskey, but she wasn’t mad. In fact, she laughed. “Funny.” She poured herself two fingers more, noting Wally and Artemis’s untouched glasses. “Haven’t heard that one in almost twenty years.”

Wally swirled his whiskey in his glass but didn’t drink. Artemis regarded own glass. “We’re running.” That piqued Ivy’s interest. “We were captured. Held against our will.” Wally raised his sling as evidence. “He wanted to sell me off.” She left out as many small details as possible. Again, she wasn’t lying. The less Ivy knew the better. The longer the hospitality lasted.

The amusement was gone from Ivy’s eyes. This time when she sat up, she stayed. “The world’s ending. People can barely survive. And some assholes out there trafficking.”

Artemis looked down into her glass again, thinking. She met Ivy’s green eyes, and took a drink, finishing the whiskey in one go. She flipped the glass over on to the table, but didn’t speak. Ivy smiled.

* * *

“So over here’s the market, you probably gathered by the stalls. We’re something between a trading outpost and fully fledged city. Ivy was taking them through the city, whiskey still in hand.

“The city of Costco?” asked Wally. Artemis rolled her eyes, ignoring his smirk.

“No, sweetie, this is the entirety of Denver.” Ivy looked back over her shoulder, and grinned. “Bigger than it looks. Most of the beds are currently empty. We trade items for bed space. Items for items. Outside we have a garden, which is where you’d normally find me. Barley, cantaloupe, corn.” A sip. “I was a botanist. A doctor, actually. I like to remind people.”

“It’s amazing.” Artemis had always been very impressed with where they’d grown up. The building wasn’t small, but it was by no means large. There were maybe twenty people living there, half of which were Wally’s relatives. At least it seemed that way. She never quite understood where all the power came from, for the rooms, the alarms, the medical equipment. There were generators, sure, but they seemed unlimited.

Then she thought back to Dick’s words: “ _He likes the exercise.”_ She laughed, silently, but she laughed.

“We’re going to put you…” Ivy had stopped in a crossroads of shelves. “Down Breckenridge.” She continued down an aisle, and Artemis looked down to see letters sprawled in spray paint. After a few feet Ivy stopped once more. “Third shelf. We have a double or two singles available. Tonight’s on the house. Diner and market’s always open. Any questions?”

“Why burn them? What does it do that a headshot doesn’t?”

“The infection is fungal.” She looked around at the plants that were scattered throughout the building, worried they might one day betray her. “It attacks the spinal cord and the brain.”

“Cordyceps.” Wally supplied the answer as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Ivy nodded.

“Times one thousand.” Though Ivy had never seemed drunk, she sobered. “I wrote my graduate thesis on Cordyceps. Ophiocordyceps sinensis. Shot to the head stops a creep for sure, but the spores can still reproduce, pollinate.” She sighed and tears watered behind her eyes, but she quickly hid them. She turned to leave. “If I may be so bold, you might want the double. It gets pretty cold at night.”

The cot was small, but there was room enough for the two of them. It took ten minutes for them to find a comfortable position. Denver was ambient, but it wasn’t loud -  the low purr of electricity mixed with the hum of voices near and far. The shelves were dark, sheets and curtains separating each area from one another and adding an extra layer of cozy dark. Artemis turned and put her head into Wally’s arm.

“Stop being a squish.”

“I’m not a squish.”

“You’re squishing pretty hard into my arm.” He adjusted so that he was on his side.

“Denver’s nice.” She was talking to his chest, and her fingers played with the buttons of his flannel. His grazed the bottom of her chin, pushing her up towards him. When he kissed her, it was brief and soft. He pulled away. Her eyelids shuttered open though she wasn’t sure when they’d closed. “Denver’s nice.”

“You already said that.” His left hand gently cupped her head. Pain momentarily registered on his face, but he hid it well. She smiled and let him bring her closer to his chest. “Go to sleep.”

Sleep came quickly.

The wake-up call came even more quickly.

Ivy was banging on the bottom shelf and saying something about “past noon” and “trouble.”

“It’s nothing huge,” she said after the scrambled down, “but I need the muscle.”

“Who else would you call but the malnourished cripple?” Wally yawned.

“The name of the game is strength in numbers, children.” Ivy walked them to the back and up a set of stairs. And another, and a ladder. “I have a pain in my ass I need to scare off. Just look imposing.”

They gathered on the roof. Ivy slung her gun casually over her shoulder. Below a familiar white van was parked near the pile of burning corpses. Lawrence relaxed against the front door with his arms crossed. Bile rose in the back of her throat. The four of them, along with every other member of Ivy’s community, waited.

“Lawrence,” Ivy greeted.

“Ivy.”

“You know you’re not exactly welcome here anymore.’

“Just thought I might try doing some trading.” They were too high up to really see him, but Artemis felt his gaze land on her.

“That’s him.”

“I’m sorry, but do you know this piece of shit?”

He was the picture of nonchalance, not a care in the world. Artemis felt Wally’s fingers lace within hers. It wasn’t fair. They were the victims in all of this. She never asked to be the cure. He never asked to be the one to take her out here. Then again, when had they played by the rules? They left Cameron for dead, stole supplies, horses. Maybe it was fair.

“How did he find us?” It was barely a whisper, but it seemed like everyone could hear.

“You didn’t think you could run away that easily did you?”

“I should have known.” Ivy pulled the bolt on the rifle and took aim. “If it sounds like an asshole, it’s probably Lawrence Crock.” Artemis winced. “I’ve got a trade for you, Lawrence. You give me that car, and I’ll make sure your death is quick.” She whistled. Lawrence didn’t flinch as every weapon was pointed towards him. “It’s your call, kid.”

Artemis felt Wally’s grip tighten, and that’s how she knew she was shaking. She searched his gaze for an answer. Wally always had the answers, but this time he looked just as lost as she did. His eyes said the three words she feared most: _I don’t know._

She closed her eyes, and a shot rang out.


End file.
